UF Students Should Support a Fee to Renovate and Expand the Reitz Union

Walking around campus and reading the Alligator lately, I’ve heard a lot of misinformation. Student leaders need to inform themselves about the recent debates concerning the Reitz Union so they can make informed decisions.

For those of you who are unaware, the Student Senate passed a resolution in support of the renovation and expansion of the union.

To some, it may seem as though this came out of the blue, so let me give you background information on the issue. A few months ago, Eddie Daniels, the executive director of the Reitz Union, had an assessment done on the building to determine the state of mechanical systems, plumbing systems, electrical systems and the structural components.

The engineering firm hired to assess the building found, among other problems, that the following repairs are critical:

-Observed asbestos in heating hot water piping int he hotel fan coil units: about $30,000 to fix

-Asbestos abatement of the plumbing systems: about $53,688 to fix

-Non-functioning duct smoke detectors: about $150,000 to fix

-Non-functioning refrigerant detection systems: about $20,000 to fix

-Overheating of the main building medium voltage distribution transformer and replacement switchgear: about $375,000 to fix, plus a possible $50-to-$100,000 in additional site work.

The costs are based on 2009 estimates and do not account for yearly inflation.

The list goes on and totals $42.5 million worth of repairs that should be done within a 10-to-15-year time line that should be started as soon as possible.

The utilities listed above are original to the building, which was constructed in 1967, even though most of them have a 15-to-20-year lifespan. Because no one wanted to initiate a student fee in the past to cover these costs, band-aids have continuously been put in place, but the Union can’t wait any longer.

If any of the major utilities of the building were to break down, the building would be unusable. The union operates at cost, meaning it’s $8 million budget is just enough to keep everything running. There is no pot to draw from if something major needs to be replaced.

Because of that, a student fee needs to be set in place to cover the cost of repairs and to be set aside for future building maintenance.

Furthermore, when the Reitz was built in 1967, the school had a population of 19,000. The current student population is more than 50,000. As we have grown, so have our needs, and the union simply doesn’t serve all of them anymore.

Architects conducted focus groups of students in October to see what students thought the current union is lacking. Many students expressed that they do not see themselves reflected in the Reitz and would like to have a multicultural center to call their own. Dance groups said they would like a dance room because they currently have to crowd the first-floor colonnade and ground-floor canopy where they compete for space that is ill-suited for dancing. Entertainment groups said the theater needs to be revamped for performances. Organizations said they want more meeting rooms, offices and storage space.

It is cheaper and makes more sense to consider expansion at the same time the renovations are being completed. If we have to tear into the walls to make the repairs, it’s cheaper to expand then rather than tearing into the walls, fixing them, and then tearing into the walls again to expand.Thus, if a student fee is put in place, it should also fund the expansion of the union.

President Bernie Machen has been presented with these concerns, but he said he will not support a student fee unless there is student support. He has requested at least 5,000 student signatures in support of the fee before he will consider backing it as well.

The following are some questions I have encountered while trying to gather signatures:

Why do we need a new union? This one is fine.

We are not building an entirely new union. This is one of the biggest rumors floating around. The foundation of this building is still strong and usable. However, the $42.5 million worth of utility and structural damages needs to be addressed immediately. While we are making these repairs, it is cheaper to renovate and expand the union to better fit the growing student body’s needs.

Why now? We’re in a recession and I’m already struggling.

There is a dire need to make the repairs in the Union because if anything goes, there is no money to fix it. For example, recently, a water pipe burst in the basement where some union offices are located. The water entered through the ceiling and covered a large area, soaking the carpet and ruining four computer stations in the IT services offices, according to Mike Mironack, director of operations.

“This is a direct example of the types of problems we experience periodically as a result of the building being 42 years old,” wrote Mironack in an email.  Pipes and other infrastructure items don’t last forever. This is a real issue.

Also, this is the cheapest time to expand because construction firms have fewer clients due to the recession so labor is significantly less expensive. Furthermore, the job will be completed sooner because they have fewer jobs to work on.

USF took five years to get their initiative passed, and during that time the cost of building their union went up millions of dollars. The same will happen to us if we wait. The sooner, the cheaper. Because of the state of the union, these fees are inevitable, and could possibly be much higher if we wait any longer.

I don’t use the union. Why should I pay for this?

Paying student fees are part of the responsibility of being a student. You might not use all of the services paid for by A&S fees either, but you pay them for the greater good. Also, maybe there are services in the union that you didn’t even know were available. Have you ever paid to get something notarized? Well, you could have gotten that done for free at the union. Have you ever needed to print something? You can do it for free at the Union. Want to see a new release movie? Don’t pay $10 at a theater. Watch it at Gatornights and get free popcorns and drinks, or come during week and bring all your friends when RUB Entertainment shows movies. Get your resume critiqued for free. Find a student organization you want to be a part of to boost your resume. Crowded and annoyed in Library West? There are study areas here, and with the expansion there could be more with more technology available to students. The union isn’t just a place to hang out. It supports you and your needs as a student.

Why is this responsibility falling on the students? Have other avenues been explored?

Yes, other avenues have been explored and are being used such as alumni donations and capital investment trust funds, but that is simply not going to be enough to cover all the costs. FSU and USF, along with many other schools, just had similar renovation and expansion projects completed on their unions, and they had to implement a student fee. We are basing how much we charge on the needs of the building and what they charged their students.

Why is this happening so fast? Why can’t we put it to a vote in the spring?

The cold, hard fact is that the union can’t wait. The students can’t wait. We are a sitting duck right now. If something goes, we won’t be able to use the union. Furthermore, we are trying to keep up with a strict time line. First, we have to present the signatures to the UF Board of Trustees, which is UF’s highest governing body. Their next meeting is this month. If they approve it, it goes to the Board of Governors, who oversees all the Florida universities. If they approve it, it has to go to the state legislature. We would like the state to see and approve the fee in spring so the fee can be implemented in fall. If we don’t meet this time line, the repairs will be put off by at least a year, but maybe even more.

What is this money going toward?

One of the empowering aspects of this fee is that you will know exactly where your money is going. All of it—100percent—will be going into the union.

If we expand, won’t the expansion eventually need repairs?

Yes, the expansion and the rest of the union for that matter will need repairs again in the future. The cost of managing the upkeep of the expansion will be factored in to the final price tag, so money from these fees will be set aside. The same is true for the union repairs. In addition to renovating and expanding the union, part of the fees will be set aside for future repairs so we don’t find ourselves in such a dire situation again.

One of the best aspects of this project is it will make the building LEED certified. Currently, the union loses money each month because the current utilities in the building are not up to sustainability standards, meaning air conditioning and lights are left on in rooms even when no one is in them. New technology will cut these costs.

How much is this fee going to be? How long will we pay?

The fee will be at most a flat fee of $20 and $3 per credit hour. The realistic answer for how long the fee will last is indefinitely. This is how we will fund the maintenance and repairs of the union from now on, and this is how other universities fund their student unions.

We already pay fees. I don’t want to pay anymore.

Currently, UF has the third lowest student fees in the state, with only FAMU and NCF behind us. With the implementation of this fee, we will have the fifth lowest fees in the state and will still have lower student fees than the majority of other Florida universities. This is how other universities fund their student unions, and their plan works.

So those are the facts, student leaders. Find someone with a petition today and sign in support of a student fee for the Reitz Union.

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