Wednesday, I sat in on the Student Government meeting where the members debated the final Carmichael fee. The Carmichael Addition and Renovation Fee Act will increase the amount that students pay for Carmichael by $47.50. This was one of two options that the Student Government had considered when discussing the increase in the Carmichael Fee. The other option was an increase of $57.50.
Although the Student Government chose to vote on the cheaper option, its decision wasn’t the best for the student body. The current $47.50 fee will fund around 85,000 additional square feet while the $57.50 fee would have paid for 100,000 square feet of space to be added to Carmichael.
A majority of the additions that the $57.50 fee would have covered are the same as those of the $47.50 fee. However, the biggest difference between the two options was that the $57.50 fee increase would have funded a new track circuit. The 2015 NASPA Recreation Wellness Study asked a sample group of NC State students what they would like to see expanded or improved in Carmichael Complex. One-fifth of respondents answered that they would have liked to see an improved indoor track. According to the Carmichael Addition and Renovation Study, the $57.50 fee would have provided an 11,000 square foot track circuit that would have connected the new complex with the existing gymnasium. The report stated that this track circuit would have been a way for students to give themselves a self-guided tour of the new facilities while running or walking around the track. The track would have been a nice addition to the new Carmichael, and certainly an interesting feature to utilize.
The ultimate goal of all the Carmichael renovations is to increase the quality of NC State’s gymnasium. The $47.50 fee increase will provide many useful updates for Carmichael gym. Yet for ten more dollars in student fee increases, Carmichael could have gotten a better track circuit that would have served as a connective agency between the new and old complexes. Paying a slightly larger fee would have been worth having a better track for those who run, or even those who want a different walking option than what is currently available. Sadly, the Carmichael renovations are already on the wrong track.
