MSU: 423 – Students: 0

(The following is completely inappropriate and out of decorum. Please do not read it.)

we’re getting SCREWED on the SUB (our Student Union Building). Admittedly, the University is paying 9m of the 27m renovation costs, but even that number doesn’t seem fair, in terms of what the students are paying and what they get in return. If the students didn’t pay to renovate the SUB, sooner or later the University would have no choice other than to pay for renovation itself.

In a broad sense, the University gains as much from all of the renovation improvements as the students. Though it’s the students who will get to enjoy the much of the “improved” facilities, the university needs these improvements more than we do, in terms of recruitment. Having a beautiful, up-to-date H&PE center or a good looking Student Union Building is essential for recruitment. Every improvement to a student facility makes MSU a more attractive university for perspective students. It’s difficult to quantify– but if our SUB was an outdated dump, enrollment would drop. The ability of the President’s Office to get alumni support and millions of dollars of private donations is greatly enhanced by having good looking facilities available for the courting of donors. Gamble’s goal to collect $100m in private funding for MSU over the next five years is laudable–and certainly aided by the improvements that the students are funding.

But here’s where the students are getting screwed:
The H&PE complex is big, looks nice on the outside, but it going to feel awful empty for a few years until its filled with equipment to use. And, a big lobby with a fireplace? I’m sure it’ll look nice, but really– when was the last time you wanted to sit down by a fireplace after a hard work out? How many more students would have rather had a real climbing wall, instead?

And our Black Box Theatre? Folding chairs?

But it’s the SUB that really put me on this train of thought. I know that a lot of money dog-eared for the SUB was used to help complete the H&PE and Black Box on time– but the resulting cuts from the SUB were almost all STUDENT areas. The update to the Union Market is nice– but Auxilary Services controls most of that area. A few years ago UWyo significantly updated their student union building. They contracted their food vending out to private business which means 1) significant revenue generation in the form of rent 2) better (not to say healthier) food. Does anyone really LIKE the Union Market? It’s all mediocre food. We eat it because we’re student, we’re on campus all day, and we’re hungry.

But then glance at the blueprints and see how much expansion there is in kitchen space! It’s huge! Food service, again, wins big from this “renovation.” Students don’t benefit at all, really, from an additional 10,000 feet of kitchen space. But we’re helping pay for it. How much of the KITCHEN was truncated to help offset increasing construction costs?

And then … there’s The Procrastinator. First, they tried to cut the theater. And then, in a grand show of listening to student outcry, they relented. But, it wasn’t quite the same, way it? No, they removed the concessions stand–just placing wall where, previously, there had been counter space. When I talked to Tom, he indicated that the concessions stand was cut because the Films Chair didn’t want to deal with concessions. PI remembers it differently: the Films Chair didn’t really participate in that decision. It was Food Service that proposed eliminating the concessions stand. Talking to Tom, he said that he hoped traffic to the Procrastinator would help keep Avogadro’s open later. Yeah, it makes sense.

And there was something else missing, too, wasn’t there? Yeah– the projection booth had been removed to squeeze a few more seats in to the “theatre”. Patty tells me that the discussion of switching to digital lasted about 10 minutes during a three hour meeting. Someone suggested that the theatre could use digital projection–based on a standard that didn’t exist–and that was it. More seats!

Wait? Can that be right? Did they really remove the concessions stand and the PROJECTION BOOTH from what was once upon going to be a MOVIE THEATER?

What kind of MOVIE THEATER doesn’t have a concessions stand or projection booth? The kind that looks suspiciously-a-whole-lot-like a PRESENTATION ROOM? Oh, they were so magnanimous is listening to the student outcry to have the Procrastinator back.

But to hear Tom talk about the potential for other uses for the Procrastinator … a great venue of Gamble’s yearly address, a huge source of revenue in the summer for conferences that need a lecture auditorium? I recall that part of the conversation with Tom well. All these different groups want to use MSU’s facilities, but there’s no place with tiered seating , a good sound system, and a big projector. Frankly, I’m half surprised that they didn’t try to pull the screen, too– except for the fact that, inevitably, presenters would want to give power-point presentations on a beautiful 47′ screen.

Each of us is paying a LOT of money to fund this renovation. Students graduating this spring will have paid eight semesters worth of fees for the renovation, without getting to enjoy ANY of the benefits– aside from the nice looking wooden chairs in the Union Market.

It ALL smacks of LIES and perfidy!