2008 Woodie Awards
New union approved unanimously by PASSHE Board of Governors
By Amy Kelly
Rocket News Editor
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: News
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's Board of Governors unanimously approved on Thursday the building of the $44.9 million university union that was approved by a student vote earlier this month.
"It was a unanimous vote by the Board of Governors," SRU President Robert Smith said.
The PASSHE Board of Governors consists of 20 members appointed by the governor of Pennsylvania.
The three architects that will be working together on the construction of the union are Sasaki Associates, Inc., DRS Architects and CJL Engineering.
A student administrative committee chose the architects two years ago.
"I'm so happy we got through this and it's a great day for the Slippery Rock students," Smith said.
Student Government Association President Larry Brink said that he's very pleased that the board of governors approved the project.
"The students really deserve and wanted a new union," Brink said. "I'm very happy that the students' voices were heard."
Students voted March 27 through April 1 in favor of constructing a new 118,000-square-foot union that would create a one-stop student services center. This option, referred to throughout the process as "Option A," would mean that the university union fee charged to each student would be $382.80 per semester, which will not take effect until 2011.
Roughly 27 percent of the SRU student body voted concerning the future of the university union, with 2,086 of the 2,242 total votes-or 93 percent-voting in favor of Option A.
Option B, which was to expand the current union, and Option C, leaving the current union as is, each received 78 votes each, or about 3.5 percent of the vote.
Option B would mean a university union fee of $404.30 beginning in 2011, while Option C would have resulted in a $346 fee, as the figure increases by $50 per academic year anyway.
"It was a unanimous vote by the Board of Governors," SRU President Robert Smith said.
The PASSHE Board of Governors consists of 20 members appointed by the governor of Pennsylvania.
The three architects that will be working together on the construction of the union are Sasaki Associates, Inc., DRS Architects and CJL Engineering.
A student administrative committee chose the architects two years ago.
"I'm so happy we got through this and it's a great day for the Slippery Rock students," Smith said.
Student Government Association President Larry Brink said that he's very pleased that the board of governors approved the project.
"The students really deserve and wanted a new union," Brink said. "I'm very happy that the students' voices were heard."
Students voted March 27 through April 1 in favor of constructing a new 118,000-square-foot union that would create a one-stop student services center. This option, referred to throughout the process as "Option A," would mean that the university union fee charged to each student would be $382.80 per semester, which will not take effect until 2011.
Roughly 27 percent of the SRU student body voted concerning the future of the university union, with 2,086 of the 2,242 total votes-or 93 percent-voting in favor of Option A.
Option B, which was to expand the current union, and Option C, leaving the current union as is, each received 78 votes each, or about 3.5 percent of the vote.
Option B would mean a university union fee of $404.30 beginning in 2011, while Option C would have resulted in a $346 fee, as the figure increases by $50 per academic year anyway.
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