Will ASUP RISE?

By Sarah Hansell, Staff Writer -- hansell14@up.edu

On Monday, the ASUP Senate will vote on an unprecedented resolution that would use student funds to chip in for a new recreational center, a major component of the University's recently announced RISE fundraising campaign.

Under the resolution, 10 percent of student government fees would go toward the center, which will replace Howard Hall, built in 1927.

"This is an amazing opportunity to give back to the University, and we really think this is a good time to do so in collaboration with the RISE Campaign," ASUP Vice President Katie Scally, a senior, said. "It really is what ASUP is all about. We're looking to bring administration and students together."

However, the senate is divided on this issue, and many senators have concerns.

"It just doesn't seem proper to use student funds to fund something that is already being funded by a major campaign," ASUP Senator Julia Balistreri, a sophomore, said.

Every semester, ASUP sets aside 10 percent of student government fees for the capital improvement fund (CIF). This money, about $20,000, goes toward a physical improvement on campus.

In the past, ASUP has spent it on new couches in St. Mary's Student Center and the Pilot House, new TV screens around campus and seating in the East Side Quad, among other projects.

Ideas proposed on how to use CIF this semester include new weight room equipment in Howard Hall, covered bike racks and more water bottle refilling stations.

ASUP's resolution to amend the CIF policy would not allow for these types of smaller scale improvements each semester until the recreation center is completed.

"It would be effective immediately, and then as soon as the project is completely funded, then it will return to the policy that it is now," ASUP President Colin Dorwart, a senior, said.

According to ASUP Treasurer Ben Thompson, a senior, some of the suggestions for the CIF this semester included a unicorn, a swing set and bendy straws in The Commons.

"I've seen four CIFs now and every time, it seems like the suggestions get more and more far-fetched," Thompson said.

"We just thought it was time to stop wasting students' money and put it toward something that would benefit student life," Scally said.

Administrators and other UP staff involved in the RISE campaign are thrilled about the resolution.

Director of Recreational Services Brian Dezzani, a member of the committee that met last year to work on the planning of the new rec center, said having student support through ASUP's contribution would encourage fundraising from other sources.

"I think it would say quite a bit if the students are willing to pledge this money to a new recreational center," Dezzani said. "It shows the support that students have for the recreational program."

Vice President for University Relations Jim Lyons, who is heading the RISE Campaign, pointed out the new recreational facility would be more than just a place to exercise.

"If somebody thinks this is just a place to go to shoot hoops and lift weights, they don't really have a concept of what it is," Lyons said. "It really is kind of a wellness center."

Sponsor of the resolution ASUP Senator Walker Ross, a freshman, believes most students would favor contributing to the new rec center.

"I can't think of a student right now that doesn't want Howard Hall redone," Ross said.

Another sponsor of the resolution, ASUP Senator Becca Steele, senior, thinks the new rec center would improve the quality of life of many students at UP.

"I think it's important if we want to see Howard Hall built that we put our support behind it," Steele said.

However, some senators are passionately against the resolution.

"The constituents just do not want their CIF freedom taken away," Balistreri said. "(The students) that we've talked to aren't showing interest in Howard Hall."

In the Feb. 7 ASUP meeting, Balistreri asked why Howard Hall was chosen rather than the library renovation, which is also part of the RISE Campaign.

"We landed on the recreation center because there are many places to study on campus besides the library," Scally said. "But we only have one place to exercise. We only have one place for intramurals."

The fundraising campaign for Howard Hall currently has about $10 million of the $22 million they will need, according to Lyons.

ASUP Senator Kyle Hamm, a sophomore, opposes the resolution. He believes ASUP's contribution would not have a significant impact.

"We're looking at 12 million, one six-hundredth every semester," Hamm said.

Scally and Thompson said they are open to any changes senators or other students propose.

"We don't see the resolution we presented as set in stone at all," Scally said.

"We would hope we get suggestions and are able to make a better resolution out of it," Thompson said.

Regardless of the outcome of the vote on Monday, the new rec center is still years away from being built.

"If this were to pass, there's no getting around it. This won't happen even for freshmen that are here now. They won't see a new Howard Hall," Scally said. "But that's our hope for this, that putting this money to a new Howard Hall will do something they never had."

- Will Lyons contributed to this story.