Question 16, one of the student referendums on the spring Associated
Students of Madison ballot, aims to bring much-needed revitalization to the Wisconsin Union. If approved, both Memorial Union and Union South would see significant and modernizing renovations including a state-of-the-art, 300-seat film theater, expanded office and meeting space for student organizations and critical electrical and HVAC infrastructure upgrades. As with most ASM-outlined proposals, there is a catch. Student segregated fees will be hiked $133 over 15 years to account for the vast majority of funds used for the project. Nevertheless, seeing that the Wisconsin Union is the recreational and social heart of the University of Wisconsin student more than anything else, we support approval of the measure.
Our only reservations lie in the fact that union personnel have not released any renderings of the suggested changes, only a laundry list of desired projects that lacks both details and prioritization has been provided. Also, there has been little justification made for seemingly superfluous additions like a 1,000-seat lakeside ballroom and an unspecified connection between Memorial Union and the Red Gym. Indeed, the unions are in need of basic upkeep, but the master plan reads more like an initial draft rather than one ready for ground breaking.
Interestingly enough, the referendum to raise segregated fees comes only a month after ASM utilized their $1.2 million surplus in other ways. By asking current and future students to make sacrifices while not giving up something themselves makes us question ASM's resolve in garnering support for the greatest renovation to the unions since Union South was built 30 years ago. Perhaps the Wisconsin Union is not the only institution in dire need of basic upkeep.
