Cal Poly students to vote on $600 annual fee to upgrade University Union

Clarification: The proposed University Union renovation and expansion would be paid for solely by the increased student fee and not from any university funding.

Cal Poly students will soon weigh in on whether to pay almost $600 more per year in fees to upgrade its University Union, a centrally located hub on campus for eating, studying, movie screenings, talks and other gatherings.

Under the proposal, 110,000 square feet of the center would be renovated and an additional 160,000 square feet added. The campus dining complex would be demolished and replaced with a new building.

The proposed renovations include a new campus bar and grill that would serve wine and beer; an expanded coffeehouse; new, technologically advanced study spaces and improved wireless capabilities; and a multiuse event space for movies, academic lectures and small concerts, among other features.

The total estimated cost for the project is about $180 million, which would be paid for by the increased student fee and not from any university funding.

“A future UU would be able to expand on the current services offered, including support of academic departments,” said Michelle Crawford, the assistant director of programs and government affairs for the Associated Students Inc., the student government.

ASI is driving the project and has conducted research over the past three years, prioritizing the efforts on the proposed renovation, university officials said.

Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong will make the final decision on whether to proceed with the renovations after considering the results of a student vote to be held Feb. 24-25.

The fee would go into effect in 2020, once the first phase of the expansion is complete. The entire project is expected to be finished by fall 2022.

While supporters say the outdated student union is in desperate need of repairs and expansion, others believe it’s unnecessary.

Business student Annie deBruynkops, who wrote a student opposition statement, said raising fees would hurt students financially.

The increase would bump students’ annual UU fees from $679 per year to $1,363 by 2020. That’s on top of additional costs, currently including $9,000 per year in tuition, an estimated $12,000 per year for housing and $1,500 annually for books.

DeBruynkops believes the existing hub is “fully functional as it is.”

“This fee increase will require some students to take out extra student loans and would certainly place an extra stress and burden on their lives,” deBruynkops said.

Faculty union leader Graham Archer said he doesn’t feel new construction is justified while Cal Poly is failing to address key educational shortcomings.

“Even if one was to ignore the faculty salary deficit, as the administration often does, the UU is not high on the list of infrastructure needs,” Archer said. “Lecture halls and labs must come first. Luxuries like the new UU come later.”

Cal Poly officials countered that students, not the university, would pay for the UU renovations.

However, business student Kali Lauhon urged students to invest in improving the campus for future generations. The University Union was built in 1969 when the student population was approximately 11,700. The campus now enrolls slightly more than 20,000 students.

“As our campus grows by numbers as well as notoriety, it is crucial to have a building that welcomes others into Cal Poly as well as facilitates the needs of our student body,” Lauhon said in her statement arguing for the remodel. “... The development of this project is the next step in bettering the future of Cal Poly, its students and faculty.”

A 2014 ASI facility master plan survey showed students want improvements made at the University Union.

“The UU was identified as being crowded and outdated with significant shortfalls in lounge, study and programming space,” according to ASI’s website titled “Create the UU.”

An April survey of 4,800 students showed that 68 percent would likely support a fee increase for the upgrades.

“For years, students have been asking for more lounge, study and dining spaces,” Crawford said.

Lauhon said the improvements would offer “a home that would enable a more connected campus.”

However, deBruynkops said that until an alternative funding method can be achieved that doesn’t place the burden on students, she’s urging a “no” vote.

The bar and grill would be the first venue to serve alcohol in the University Union. Vista Grande Restaurant, located across from the Performing Arts Center on Grand Avenue on campus, serves beer and wine after 5 p.m.

Crawford said a new bar and grill would promote “camaraderie and school spirit” for students, faculty, parents, alumni and others.

“Consumption of alcoholic beverages would be closely monitored and restricted to guests over the age of 21,” Crawford said. “Drink consumption would be regulated. The policies behind that regulation are still to be determined.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Cal Poly students to vote on $600 annual fee to upgrade University Union."