The student body will vote Monday on the referendum which will determine the passage of the $83 student fee increase to fund the Talley Student Center Renovation project. The Rally4Talley campaign has been advertising the renovations planned for new Talley and informing students on the project’s potential since the spring, but a less propagated facet of the project is the renovation to the Atrium food cout.
Ethan Evans, freshman in environmental engineering, said he wasn’t aware of the Atrium’s inclusion in the Talley project.
“I didn’t even know the Atrium was going to be included in the renovations,” Evans said. “The Atrium seems fine. There’s no need for them to spend more money on it.”
Evans said he felt it was wrong for project designers to appear to be rallying funds for Talley while actually spending the money on the Atrium.
“I don’t like the idea of such false advertising,” Evans said.
Randy Lait, director of Dining Services and head of the Atrium project, said there was no false advertising in the campaign.
“We have done everything to ensure the student body is well informed,” Lait said. “The Atrium is a significant part of the project and has always been included in a package with Talley. All information regarding the project is accessible at the Rally4Talley Web site.”
Student Body President Jim Ceresnak also expressed the need for students to be informed, but admitted that he did not have many details on costs.
“[Student Government] worked hard to fight the fee down to $83, and a small amount of that will be going to the Atrium,” Ceresnak said. “I don’t know exacts about pricing, and we don’t have an itemization on the project.”
Lait had an estimate based on the project’s total cost.
“The Atrium project is estimated to cost about $4 million,” Lait said. “I would guess that the cost to each student will be about four to six dollars.”
The Rally4Talley Web site presents the costs over the estimated five years of the Talley project. The cost to each student for the Atrium renovations, set to be complete by the 2010-11 school year, is listed as twenty-three cents per day over 365 days, or $83.95 per student.
The referendum to fund the Talley project this year proposes a fee increase of $83.
Some students expressed opposition to the referendum and anger at the manner in which Rally4Talley was being conducted in light of this information.
Abigail Brannon, sophomore in fashion and textile management, said she felt the campaign was deceptive.
“It’s ridiculous that they’re advertising for money for Talley but it’s all actually going to the Atrium. If Talley isn’t done by the time I graduate, I don’t want to pay for any of it.”
According to Lait, the Atrium is in urgent need of significant improvements and must be renovated soon.
“We are unsure of what will happen to the project if the student body votes against the referendum,” Lait said. “The Atrium will need to be done regardless of the result of the referendum.”
