Students can cast their ballots starting today for a University Center renovation plan that would increase the UC student fee in 2010 to $60 from $35 per semester.
Polls for the UC Student Fee Referendum will remain open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Wednesday at 10 campus locations.
University Center and Associated Facilities Director Keith Kowalka said students on the UC Policy Board hope the renovation plan gains support of at least 65 percent of students, with at least 7,000 students visiting the polls.
"Our fee legislation calls for a majority vote of students, but students on our policy board hope to gain overwhelming support for the initiative," Kowalka said.
The UC 2010 Initiative includes plans to beautify the UC, incorporate new services, improve existing services and create spaces to study and relax.
The UC hasn’t undergone any major renovations since its opening 42 years ago, and UC Policy Board Co-Chair and English senior Micah Kenfield said the building shows signs of age.
"Basically the UC will not be able to stay as it is indefinitely, and it’s kind of a ticking clock right now," Kenfield said.
If the UC 2010 Initiative earns enough support today and Wednesday at the UC student referendum, the next step for UC officials is to present the plan to the Board of Regents, the Texas State Legislature and the Texas Board of Higher Education for approval.
"If the students support the referendum, we have to convince the state that it’s the view of the students and the University," Kenfield said.
UC officials, in conjunction with Holzman Moss Architecture, conducted a survey of nearly 3,500 students to determine their expectations for the UC and the UC Satellite. Based on the findings, students wanted more restaurants, an outdoor amphitheatre and infrastructure upgrades.
Alternate means of funding repair the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems should the referendum fail.
Construction for the $99,997,213 project is slated to begin May 2011, and the anticipated completion date is spring 2014. The construction would be split into three phases over three years. The UC will continue to serve students and faculty as different sections are overhauled.
The transformation project, if approved, will be paid for by incremental student fee increases, which will become effective in Fall 2010 and plateau at $160 per semester by Fall 2014.
Students have been involved in the transformation project since the beginning and will continue to do so, Kenfield said.
Kenfield said all students should vote because the new UC will better accommodate students and enhance UH’s overall appeal.
For more information, visit www.uh.edu/uc2010.
