University President Dave Frohnmayer last week formally approved seven proposals for campus construction to be funded with almost $3.4 million of student fees.
Approved proposals
| $2,260,000 EMU west side lower level renovation $480,000 KWVA integrated broadcast studio $215,000 Craft Center outdoor studio $196,000 Outdoor Program trip facility expansion and renovation $160,000 Student Recreation Center auxiliary weight room flooring and equipment $47,000 University Health Center air and temperature control systems $40,000 University Health Center security upgrades |
The projects range from a $40,000 security upgrade to the University Health Center to a $2.26 million partial renovation to the lower level of the EMU.
All full-time students in the Oregon University System pay $45 each term in student building fees, which are placed in a statewide pool to be used for capital construction of student facilities.
Each university gets a portion approximately the size of its contribution once every two years.
A committee established in February sorted through more than 10 proposals requesting more than $4.1 million. Former ASUO President Emily McLain, who sat on the committee, sent the committee’s recommendations to Frohnmayer.
The committee did not recommend funding a $449,870 proposal to remodel the ASUO offices. But McLain recommended that the remodel be funded anyway at a lower price, according to Frohnmayer’s letter to ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz in which the committee’s recommendations were formally approved.
“President McLain also suggested approval of an ASUO Executive recommendation of $394,870 for remodel of the ASUO offices. I am not approving that recommendation, believing it needs further discussion and review,” Frohnmayer wrote. He suggested the discussion about an ASUO remodel be postponed until Vice President for Student Affairs Robin Holmes returns from Japan in late July.
Dotters-Katz said he will not continue the discussion.
“The ASUO taking a stance like this on a project which would directly benefit itself creates inappropriate conflict of interest and it is no longer the prerogative of this executive to pursue funding of a remodel,” he said.
Most of the proposals were recommended by the committee and approved by Frohnmayer.
More than 10,000 square feet on the west side of the EMU’s lower level between the computer lab and Multicultural Center will be renovated. The remodel will affect student unions and the LGBTQA as well as the mechanical systems on the floor above, impacting the River Rooms, the Outdoor Program and the South Dining Room where Panda Express is located.
ASUO Multicultural Advocate Kari Herinckx said student unions have been waiting for the renovation for a long time.
“The majority of the union offices are old storage spaces and are pretty inefficient” for programs to use, she said.
“There’s really not a timeline (for completing the renovations), which is unfortunate,” she said, but students may be able to convince Holmes to speed up the process.
Campus radio station KWVA will receive $480,000 to build a state-of-the-art broadcast suite with a conference room, live broadcast and production studio spaces, a live performance studio and a music library.
The station currently occupies a former men’s restroom, a former women’s restroom and a janitorial service area. According to the proposal for the funds, the station’s existing space and adjacent storage space will be remodeled.
The Craft Center was approved for $215,000 to build an outdoor studio for welding, glass blowing, ceramics and stone carving. The covered studio will be approximately 1,680 square feet and will be inside a fenced yard adjacent to the Craft Center.
The Outdoor Program will receive $196,000 to renovate and expand its trip facility known as the Barn. A proposal submitted to the committee requested $171,000. Outdoor Program staff could not be reached for comment.
The Student Recreation Center was approved for $160,000 for flooring and equipment for a new auxiliary weight room. The Rec Center’s proposal said the size of its current weight room is far below national standards, and a new room will benefit students “who often feel intimidated in overcrowded facilities with so much glass and window visibility.”
The Rec Center’s $515,000 request for a synthetic turf field was not recommended by the committee.
The University Health Center was approved for $47,000 for air and temperature control systems and $40,000 for security upgrades.
The committee also chose to not fund a $76,750,000 overhaul of the EMU.
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