PJ Stanley

Recent renovations to the Student Union have become the newest source of conflict between the Student Government Association (SGA) and the University of Massachusetts administration, said Carla Dominguez, speaker of the Student Senate.

The updates, which included new drapes, carpeting and furniture for the Cape Cod Lounge and Suffolk Room, new floor tiling and bulletin boards throughout the building and a fresh coat of paint for the walls and bathrooms, cost approximately $600,000 according to Meredith Schmidt, director of the Campus Center and Student Union Complex.

Funding for the project was made available toward the end of last semester by Joyce Hatch, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance. The pinkish color scheme was designed by Marty Smith, assistant director of A’E Design Services, in coordination with the Auxiliary Services office.

The renovations were completed during the winter recess by Facilities Planning on Campus and the Physical Plant, Schmidt explained.

The problem, according to Dominguez, is that the administration executed the project without soliciting permission or guidance from the student-directed Campus Center and Student Union Commission (CCSUC), an act which violates the Board of Trustees policy on University Governance, also known as the Wellman Document.

Dominguez specifically cited Section B, Article 4 of the Wellman, which states, “Students will have primary responsibility for services and activities which are designed primarily to serve students or those which are financed primarily by students.”

Originally passed in 1973, this language is the portion of Trustee Policy from which the SGA and its sub-organizations such as CCSUC derive their power.

Schmidt explained that CCSUC was not consulted because of time constraints.

“When we got the go-ahead, it was right when school was ending” she said. “It was a huge project with a small window.”

Schmidt claimed it “made it impossible to get everyone together.”

Schmidt also explained the renovations had to be done over winter break because of noise, traffic and air quality concerns which would have made the project both difficult and dangerous to attempt during the University’s regular session.

Dominguez, however, explained that while the money may not have been formally appropriated until later, talk of renovation had been going on since the beginning of last semester, and the CCSUC was “prepared for discussion” when the project budget was approved. The choice of the administration to go ahead with the project without such discussion “infringes on student autonomy” and is “incredibly disrespectful,” according to Dominguez.

Also at issue is student opinion about the color scheme of the project.

Schmidt said Smith’s selections are modern and match this spring’s new designs.

“We did an assessment and gathered feedback from the various users,” she said. “And we have heard nothing but good things.”

Dominguez doubted the accuracy of Schmidt’s claims, explaining that many students have expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the project, and that none of the Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) were aware of the project until after it happened.

“I’m shocked to hear them say that we weren’t displeased,” Dominguez said.

She went on to explain that she and others had expressly stated their displeasure in a meeting about the project which Smith and Schmidt held with CCSUC in mid-January only after the project was completed.

Schmidt’s claim “we’re all about students here,” sounds hollow to Dominguez and other student employees.

“It’s our Student Union,” she said. “None of them work here; they don’t have to look out at this every day from nine to five.”

If the SGA does not reach an agreement with the administration by Feb. 22, a vote about whether to escalate bargaining tactics will be put to the students as a referenda question on the ballots during the March 5 and 6 elections.

“The principle of student control over student space is our fourth demand,” Dominguez explained, referring to ongoing negotiations with the University. “We understand it was a time crunch, but things like this happen all of the time, and it shows that they don’t take us seriously.”

Katina Cessna can be reached at [email protected].