UM raises student fees for new facilities
Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:37 am
It's looking more and more like they are prepping for a possible move up.
ASUM approves fee increase; senator resigns
by Jayme Fraser | April 15, 2010 | Montana Kaimin
University of Montana students will now pay an additional $26.10 each semester after the ASUM Senate’s approval of an increase to the mandatory athletic fee, funding a renovation plan that would create new facilities.
More than 120 student athletes in support of the resolution poured out of the room where the student senate met in the UC Wednesday night, crowding the doorways to hear the heated discussion that ended with Sen. Ray Davis announcing his resignation.
Many athletes expressed their concerns to the senate.
“Right now, we are operating with a very poor facility and we are giving everybody pretty phenomenal results. This is a trend that will very likely not continue with this facility,” track athlete and former ASUM Sen. Mary Kettering said. “Our’s pales in comparison to facilities other Division I schools can offer.”
The resolution, which passed with only Davis in opposition, increased the mandatory athletic fee paid by all students from $46 to $72.10. The permanent fee increase is slated to convert UM’s Art Annex into a new weight room for athletes, build a new art annex and renovate the current weight room into a study area for the athletes.
At the meeting, Athletic Director Jim O’Day, as well as vice presidents Jim Foley and Bob Duringer, discussed the current ideas for the projects, which are still in early planning stages.
Foley said the most likely location for the new art annex would be near the East Broadway Park-N-Ride across the river from campus. Duringer said he anticipates the building could be finished in summer 2012 if construction begins in summer 2011.
Though the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts Stephen Kalm wasn’t present at the meeting, O’Day said the arts school is excited to work with the athletic program on this project.
ASUM President Matt Fennell said he supported the resolution because it addressed the health and safety concerns of both the student athletes and those enrolled in arts courses that must work in a poorly ventilated building.
“The materials they work with create airborne particulars, silica, that will coat your lungs and cause respiratory illness,” he said.
But liberal arts student Sara Horvath questioned the suggested location of the new building.
“I think there is an obvious student athlete need, but the arts always gets overlooked,” Horvath said. “It’s a big inconvenience for the arts students to go all the way across the river.”
Some senators, too, expressed concern that the location could disenfranchise those students.
Sen. Patrick Rhea, chair of the Transportation Committee, said it would cost at least an additional $70,000 to suitably improve Park-N-Ride services to that location, not including the cost of a new bus.
Senators Rhea, Davis, and others said they were concerned about making a hasty decision about a 50 percent increase to the fee with very little information on how the money would be used since the plans are only in infancy.
“I’m making a $700,000-decision here based on five sentences that say why it’s important,” Rhea said. “I have no clear understanding of where and how we are going to do this project and what role private donors would play in it. I can’t make this decision based on five sentences. While I recognize that while we had a large turnout of student athletes, there are still 14,000 other people on this campus that will not directly benefit.”
Rhea said he would be much more comfortable allowing the entire student body to vote on the proposal during ASUM elections on Cyberbear later this month. He said that if the measure passed without going to a full student vote, he’d question the decision with the senate’s Constitutional Review Board. At the end of the night, he added the topic to the agenda for next week’s meeting.
The resolution was amended before passage to clarify that the increase would fund only facilities maintenance and construction, not athlete scholarships or other program costs.
When the resolution passed at 11:07 p.m., many in the crowd hooted appreciatively or expressed surprise that the measure passed with little revision and without a full student body vote.
But the senators’ discussion of student fees did not end so soon.
After working months with the student-led nonprofit MontPIRG on its plan to fully reestablish a UM chapter, senators battled over the ballot language that students would see during elections regarding the reinstatement of a $5 refundable fee for MontPIRG.
During public comment, several students spoke about the resolution, some in adamant support and others in certain opposition. All of the supporters had previously interned with MontPIRG and negated claims that the group was partisan, emphasizing the scope of the nonprofit’s work.
All of the opposition said they were offended by MontPIRG’s claim that it is the only student organization that trains students to campaign and advocate for issues. They said they learned the same skills as members of other groups like College Republicans and Forward Montana. Two people expressed concern that MontPIRG would operate with essentially no ASUM oversight, denying students an opportunity to influence how their money is spent.
By the meeting’s end at 1 a.m., the resolution was tabled for later discussion and Davis passed his handwritten resignation to Vice President Emily May before silently walking out of the room.
Most of the remaining senators expressed sadness at his decision during closing comments.
“I resigned because I can no longer stand by the decision-making process of the ASUM senate,” Davis said after he left. “We grilled Jamie (Bennett) and Jared (Trilling) and the MontPIRG board to give us every single detail and answer all of our questions and not only did we not scrutinize the athletic fee, we passed the resolution based on hearsay and fear tactics.”
Davis said he would have voted for the fee increase if the senate had been presented with more thorough information and if it were lower.
He said he did not resign over the fee itself, but rather because he’s lost confidence in the ASUM Senate’s dedication to thoroughness for students.
“On a resolution that discusses a new $5 student fee we scrutinize the fine details, but, a moment before, just passed a resolution for a $26 increase that costs students $700,000 a year,” Davis said. “I will not stand in front of the student body and support that decision when there was so little information.”
ASUM approves fee increase; senator resigns
by Jayme Fraser | April 15, 2010 | Montana Kaimin
University of Montana students will now pay an additional $26.10 each semester after the ASUM Senate’s approval of an increase to the mandatory athletic fee, funding a renovation plan that would create new facilities.
More than 120 student athletes in support of the resolution poured out of the room where the student senate met in the UC Wednesday night, crowding the doorways to hear the heated discussion that ended with Sen. Ray Davis announcing his resignation.
Many athletes expressed their concerns to the senate.
“Right now, we are operating with a very poor facility and we are giving everybody pretty phenomenal results. This is a trend that will very likely not continue with this facility,” track athlete and former ASUM Sen. Mary Kettering said. “Our’s pales in comparison to facilities other Division I schools can offer.”
The resolution, which passed with only Davis in opposition, increased the mandatory athletic fee paid by all students from $46 to $72.10. The permanent fee increase is slated to convert UM’s Art Annex into a new weight room for athletes, build a new art annex and renovate the current weight room into a study area for the athletes.
At the meeting, Athletic Director Jim O’Day, as well as vice presidents Jim Foley and Bob Duringer, discussed the current ideas for the projects, which are still in early planning stages.
Foley said the most likely location for the new art annex would be near the East Broadway Park-N-Ride across the river from campus. Duringer said he anticipates the building could be finished in summer 2012 if construction begins in summer 2011.
Though the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts Stephen Kalm wasn’t present at the meeting, O’Day said the arts school is excited to work with the athletic program on this project.
ASUM President Matt Fennell said he supported the resolution because it addressed the health and safety concerns of both the student athletes and those enrolled in arts courses that must work in a poorly ventilated building.
“The materials they work with create airborne particulars, silica, that will coat your lungs and cause respiratory illness,” he said.
But liberal arts student Sara Horvath questioned the suggested location of the new building.
“I think there is an obvious student athlete need, but the arts always gets overlooked,” Horvath said. “It’s a big inconvenience for the arts students to go all the way across the river.”
Some senators, too, expressed concern that the location could disenfranchise those students.
Sen. Patrick Rhea, chair of the Transportation Committee, said it would cost at least an additional $70,000 to suitably improve Park-N-Ride services to that location, not including the cost of a new bus.
Senators Rhea, Davis, and others said they were concerned about making a hasty decision about a 50 percent increase to the fee with very little information on how the money would be used since the plans are only in infancy.
“I’m making a $700,000-decision here based on five sentences that say why it’s important,” Rhea said. “I have no clear understanding of where and how we are going to do this project and what role private donors would play in it. I can’t make this decision based on five sentences. While I recognize that while we had a large turnout of student athletes, there are still 14,000 other people on this campus that will not directly benefit.”
Rhea said he would be much more comfortable allowing the entire student body to vote on the proposal during ASUM elections on Cyberbear later this month. He said that if the measure passed without going to a full student vote, he’d question the decision with the senate’s Constitutional Review Board. At the end of the night, he added the topic to the agenda for next week’s meeting.
The resolution was amended before passage to clarify that the increase would fund only facilities maintenance and construction, not athlete scholarships or other program costs.
When the resolution passed at 11:07 p.m., many in the crowd hooted appreciatively or expressed surprise that the measure passed with little revision and without a full student body vote.
But the senators’ discussion of student fees did not end so soon.
After working months with the student-led nonprofit MontPIRG on its plan to fully reestablish a UM chapter, senators battled over the ballot language that students would see during elections regarding the reinstatement of a $5 refundable fee for MontPIRG.
During public comment, several students spoke about the resolution, some in adamant support and others in certain opposition. All of the supporters had previously interned with MontPIRG and negated claims that the group was partisan, emphasizing the scope of the nonprofit’s work.
All of the opposition said they were offended by MontPIRG’s claim that it is the only student organization that trains students to campaign and advocate for issues. They said they learned the same skills as members of other groups like College Republicans and Forward Montana. Two people expressed concern that MontPIRG would operate with essentially no ASUM oversight, denying students an opportunity to influence how their money is spent.
By the meeting’s end at 1 a.m., the resolution was tabled for later discussion and Davis passed his handwritten resignation to Vice President Emily May before silently walking out of the room.
Most of the remaining senators expressed sadness at his decision during closing comments.
“I resigned because I can no longer stand by the decision-making process of the ASUM senate,” Davis said after he left. “We grilled Jamie (Bennett) and Jared (Trilling) and the MontPIRG board to give us every single detail and answer all of our questions and not only did we not scrutinize the athletic fee, we passed the resolution based on hearsay and fear tactics.”
Davis said he would have voted for the fee increase if the senate had been presented with more thorough information and if it were lower.
He said he did not resign over the fee itself, but rather because he’s lost confidence in the ASUM Senate’s dedication to thoroughness for students.
“On a resolution that discusses a new $5 student fee we scrutinize the fine details, but, a moment before, just passed a resolution for a $26 increase that costs students $700,000 a year,” Davis said. “I will not stand in front of the student body and support that decision when there was so little information.”
