Students say they were left in the dark about bond
Some believe students were not given much information regarding Wednesday’s approval by the Utah State University Board of Trustees to spend $9 million in student fees during the next 20 years.
“There’s a lot of communication that needs to take place,” Associated Students of USU Student Advocate Vice President Les Essig said.
Essig said the process of approving the bond has gone very fast and has not allowed a lot of time for students and student leaders to become educated about the plans for student money.
During a conference call with the Board of Trustees Wednesday, Chairman Gayle McKeachnie asked ASUSU President Duke Di Stefano how students felt about other people deciding the future of the student fee. Di Stefano said students are excited about the possible addition to the Fieldhouse, but are “a little upset” with so much of the bond’s money going to facilities that don’t directly benefit students.
“The only reason the hang-up is coming with the students is by improving the west side of the stadium, they don’t see the benefit to them,” said Di Stefano, who also serves as a trustee.
USU President Kermit L. Hall said the existing Stadium/Spectrum Bond does not require the administration to receive consent from students when desiring to extend the bond. Only if there were to be an increase in the amount of student fees dedicated to paying off the bond would there be a required vote from students.
Essig, along with Executive Vice President Ariel Thrapp, said they plan to attend a series of meetings Friday morning in an effort to become better informed on what the detailed plans are for the student money.
Essig said students and student leaders have all the right in the world to understand the intricate details of anything dealing with student money.
Di Stefano said there are some aspects about the plans for the money that some individuals have known for some time, but have not been made clear to students.
Di Stefano, Essig and Thrapp said they will make every effort to find out the details of the bond and relay them to students so students can voice their desires about what they want done with their money.
While the next step in the process of the bond is to get the Board of Regents approval on Jan. 16, Essig said nothing is final yet, as the bond has only passed two of the four steps required.
-str@cc.usu.edu