Spring Break
Students and staff flip first earth at site of new union
Greg Vandas
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: News
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Leo Morton, Interim Chancellor, Mel Tyler, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Provost Gail Hackett were among the administrators who participated in the ceremony.
"There will be more activity on this campus year after year as we continue to build and expand, and it all starts here," said Morton.
He continued his opening speech by thanking and congratulating the student body, which passed a Student Government Association referendum to allocate funds for the $38.3 million facility last year.
Student representatives Tony Luetkemeyer, Sean McClain and Nick Clark were there to speak about the success of the project.
"Students have to be committed to owning this project, and it has to be the students that lead the way," McClain said.
Luetkemeyer, student representative to the University of Missouri Board of Curators, commented on the need for a new campus center.
"The original University Center was completed in 1959, and the school has added thousands of students since then," he explained. "There was clearly a need for a newer and bigger student union."
Blueprints and floor layouts detailed the projected space usage of the four-story, 108,000 square foot complex, with room for student organizations, lounges, a new cafeteria and an auditorium.
Students have the opportunity to rearrange this working model, too. The Student Union Planning Committee, headed by Clark, has encouraged the involvement of all students in the design selection process since the project's inception asking for student input on everything from possible amenities to include in the facility to the construction firm selected to build it.
The McCownGordon Green Trailer, which was on hand for the day's event, showcased some of the more environmentally friendly design elements chosen by the students.
Luetkemeyer also said students have been instrumental in substantially decreasing the projected cost for the building to a figure almost 18 percent lower than expected.
They called for a reduced fee of $13.75 per credit hour per student, capped at 12 hours or $165 a semester, to pay for it. The fee will not be implemented until the building is completed in 2011.
McClain said the enormous level of work done to bring the new student union to this stage in the process of permanence is a testament to the dedication and progressive power of UMKC students.
"This project is for the students. Sometimes you just have to fight really hard for change. But it's worth it in the end."
gvandas@unews.com
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