On Friday, April 9, 2010, I delivered the following speech to the Missouri State University Board of Governors concerning my opposition to construction of the University Recreation Center, a $30 million facility set to break ground later this month. After my speech, Student Body President Chris Polley stood up and delivered an off the cuff speech to the Board explaining how the majority of students are totally behind this project and are “anxiously awaiting” its construction.

I was disappointed that the Board decided to approve the award for contract unanimously shortly thereafter; however, I am glad I had the chance to say what needed to be said. It was a long shot to change their mind at this point, but someone needed to speak out for common sense. Unfortunately, common sense apparently is just not too common anymore among government officials. Students are starting to wake up, though, and I think the next time one of these wasteful projects is proposed, Missouri State students are going to stand up and make their voice heard.

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MBA Student Zachary Becker to the Missouri State Board of Regents; April 9, 2010

A storm is on the horizon. Higher education budgets may be cut as much as 20 percent in the near future. Already, legislators are looking to renege on the previously-agreed-on tuition freeze at state universities. You know much better than I the implications these massive cuts will have on Missouri State University and the students it serves. Larger class sizes, elimination of programs, fewer experienced faculty, and tuition increases are all likely.

With uncertainty ahead, I implore you to re-evaluate plans to construct the University Recreation Center. I know this has been in the works for many years, but in these budget circumstances any project can and should be re-evaluated if it is not in the best interest of the university. Economic circumstances have changed drastically since this project was originally conceived in 2006. Spending $30 million on a recreation center and paying to staff and maintain it is an extravagance the university cannot afford right now. I am not necessarily saying we cancel this project. Rather, we should hold off for the time being and wait this storm out. Favorable bond rates and low construction bids are poor excuses to push forward with a building we do not need at a time when administrators are asking each department to make every dollar count in preparation for the worst.

Even on the cusp of construction, when most current students could conceivably use this building before they graduate, many are saying no to the recreation center. We have a Facebook group of 230 students who will attest to this fact, and I have no doubt many more see the folly in proceeding with this project during these economic times. Forward-thinking students understand that Missouri State only has limited resources and some things must be sacrificed to keep higher education affordable. While significant tuition increases appear inevitable, we should not add to this load by asking students to support a superfluous building.

When students originally voted on this measure in pre-recession 2006, it was not a slam dunk. Only 56 percent of students approved it, which was advertised at the time as a renovation of McDonald Arena at a cost of $23 million. With the project $7 million over budget and students tightening their own belts during the economic recession, I think the current student body would vote quite differently today.

Many say this new rec center is going to draw potential students to Missouri State who might otherwise choose larger schools like Mizzou, Kansas, or Oklahoma. But trying to compare the amenities of our university side-by-side with those of larger institutions is an exercise in futility. Students choosing on those criteria are going to pick another school every time, rec center or not. Students choose Missouri State because of the quality and affordability of the education we provide. We should be putting resources towards recruiting top-notch faculty, making our academic departments the best in the nation, and keeping our tuition and fees low. These are areas where we can stand out from our larger competitors.

A cold wind is a blowing, and a storm is almost here. Roughly 20,000 students at Missouri State University are counting on you to make wise decisions on their behalf. You have a duty to make fiscally responsible choices for this university. Tough times call for tough decisions. If you truly believe it is wise to build a $30 million recreation center on the cusp of the biggest cuts in higher education yet seen, then by all means go forward with it. But if you have doubts about the timing or cost of this project, do not be afraid to step up and say no. Do not let the power of group think lock you into voting for an expensive, obviously-unnecessary and poorly-timed project.

The current and future students of Missouri State University are counting on you to make the right decision. Thank you for your time.

After participating in today’s protest against the construction of the University Recreation Center, I must say I came away very impressed by the level of student interest in the issue.

We had probably 25-35 students show up during the course of the hour-long demonstration. I have yet to hear the final count on the signatures we got on a petition for a re-vote, but I know several pages of signatures were filled. The News-Leader showed up to cover the event, as did The Standard, so that should also increase awareness.

Many of the attendees were members of the swim team. They are not very happy with the fact that this new pool (and lazy river) is being built (which is not Olympic sized and they cannot use), yet their own pool is in pretty bad shape.

Like the rest of the protestors, they also believe this project is a waste of valuable resources during a time when we are about to see budget cuts.

We even had a group of five or six anti-protestors along for the ride (and their couch).

This was my first protest, and it was a lot of fun. It was really nice to see students have such strong feelings and voice them, especially over a campus issue. Too often, students just seem apathetic.

I got a chance to talk to Justin Wieberg, a student working in Campus Recreation who was part of the opposition to the protest. We had a friendly debate over the issue. Of course, he informed me this is really a non-issue, since their is no way at this point they will not build the thing. I guess he thinks we are wasting our time protesting it. In reality, the facility is set to break ground next month, so it probably is a long shot to put the breaks on it. But it’s not over til it’s over.

Of course, for it being a mute issue, I find it interesting he would spend his afternoon handing out pro-rec center fliers to students to combat our anti-rec center protest. If opposition is doomed to fail, why bother?

A group of Missouri State University students are planning to protest construction of the University Recreation Center, a $22.9 building set to break ground next month.

The protest will occur from 2-to-3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23, outside Carrington Hall on campus.

“There’s a Facebook group of over 150 students against the construction,” said protest organizer and Missouri State student Heather Welborn. “The most commonly posted reasons to rethink the project range from, ‘I’ll never use it,’ to ‘I don’t want to pay for it.’”

Welborn believes the construction is a waste of valuable resources during a time when the budget is incredibly tight.

“My goal is to shed light on an issue many at Missouri State feel strongly about,” she said. “This project is largely an awareness campaign.”

Welborn plans to circulate a petition calling for a student body re-vote “to see if this project is still in line with how students want their money spent.” Students originally approved a $16.5 million renovation of McDonald Arena in 2006, which later evolved into the construction of an entirely new building.

Welborn said students who cannot attend the protest but are interested in the cause should join a Facebook group called “MSU Students Against Construction of the University Recreation Center.” Information about further efforts to stop this construction will be posted there, she said.

“A protest is a great way to increase awareness on campus,” Welborn said. “It encourages student involvement in shaping and questioning the policies that directly effect them. If you hear about the Rec project for the first time through the protest, we made a difference.”

]]> http://www.msu-underground.com/archives/1114/feed 3 http://www.msu-underground.com/archives/1080 http://www.msu-underground.com/archives/1080#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:39:35 +0000 Zach http://www.msu-underground.com/?p=1080 A lot has changed since 2006, when students voted to approve a fee referendum to pay for what was then a renovation of McDonald Arena and which later turned into the soon-to-be-constructed $22.9 million University Recreation Center.

Since that time, the housing market collapsed, the banks went bust, unemployment reached historical levels, and now we’re looking at huge budget shortfalls in higher education.

Missouri’s higher education commissioner warned of potential 15-to-20 percent budget cuts to state universities, possibly leading to university closures, larger class sizes and even elimination of athletic teams.

And yet, we are still chugging along about to build a superfluous facility that the majority of students will probably never use and which will cost untold amounts in the future to properly staff and maintain.

Worse yet, those who actually need it the most – athletic teams – are specifically being barred from using the facility.

The times where we could afford to lounge down the lazy river are over.

Sure, it would be nice to have another pool, an indoor track, a rock climbing wall, more basketball courts, more gym equipment, and, of course, a lazy river.

The good folks in Campus Recreation have done a phenomenal job helping plan and design this project. It looks like a beautiful building with lots of great features.

But not here and not now.

Not in these economic conditions.

This project should be re-evaluated immediately. We should not be stuck constructing a building just because students four years ago voted to approve the project. It might have made sense then, but certainly not now.

Let students vote whether they think this is a good idea going forward given the current economic situation.

Student fees already paid into this project could be diverted to other, more vital projects, or perhaps just held in a fund. When economic conditions and higher education budgets improve, this idea is certainly still worthy of consideration.

Now, though, is not the time.

-Zach Becker

For the Editorial Board

If you are against construction of the University Recreation Center, join our Facebook group, “MSU Students Against Construction of the University Recreation Center.”

She pauses, reflects, and smiles. Director of Campus Recreation Cindi Barnett’s dream is close to becoming a reality.

It started as mere speculative conversation between her and some of the student workers in Campus Recreation six years ago and, through years of dedication, she has helped it materialize into the roughly $23 million and over 90,000 square feet University Recreation Center set to break ground next semester.

The facility, which will be located near JQH Arena where tennis courts now stand, will have an indoor jogging track, basketball courts, multipurpose rooms, a fitness center, a swimming pool, locker rooms, and a climbing wall, among other features.

“It’s just real exciting for me,” said Barnett, her passion and enthusiasm for the project evident in her voice. “Being in on all the planning; thinking about what do we want, where we want it in the building.”

However, she is most excited for the students of Missouri State.

“More than anything, I think the students are going to embrace it,” she said. “Obviously, we have recreation all over the campus, but we don’t have a central place for students. It’s kind of the next step as far as Campus Recreation goes.

“Once it opens, the students will be going, ‘Yeah, we needed this. This is Missouri State.’”

Growing Campus Recreation from its origins in a small, nondescript office in Plaster Student Union, Barnett takes great pride in the myriad of services her department now provides and the new facility it will soon call home.

“Campus Rec used to be a very, very little tiny room,” she said. “Nobody knew it was there; didn’t even have a sign on the wall. The only activity that we did for students at that time recreation-wise was fraternity intramurals. We have all kinds of things for students to do now.”

Today, Campus Recreation provides countless activities for students, in everything from intramural basketball to Kung Fu to ballroom dance to hiking.

Through it all, Barnett has kept Campus Recreation focused on its customers, the students.

From the initial planning stages of the University Recreation Center, student input has dictated which features will and will not be included.

“We’ve had to pick and choose,” Barnett said. “We went to the students and said, ‘You tell us.’”

Through surveys and presentations to focus groups, students showed strong support for a state-of-the-art recreation center and showed they were willing to pay for the new facility through the passage of a student fee referendum in Fall 2006.

The project was originally slated as an estimated $16.5 million renovation of McDonald Arena. However, state budget cuts forced a change of plans. Given students had already began to pay the student fee in Fall 2007 for the promised University Recreation Center, plans for an all-new facility were developed instead.

The construction project should take about 18 months, giving the facility a projected opening for Fall 2011.

Students who graduate before the completion of the University Recreation Center will be allowed to come back and use the facility for a time equal to the number of semesters they paid into the building’s student fee.