Spring 2018 Fee Referendum - Student Body Center Fee | Budget | Financial Services | BFA

BFA
Financial Services
Budget & Finance
Spring 2018 Fee Referendum - Student Body Center Fee

Spring 2018 Fee Referendum - Student Body Center Fee

ATTENTION ALL SDSU STUDENTS:

There will be an advisory student fee referendum on March 6-7, 2018, to gather student input on the following proposed increase in mandatory student fees:

Shall the current SDSU mandatory Student Body Center Fee be increased by $195 - from the current amount of $237 per semester ($16.58 per unit up to maximum of $187.38 for the summer term) to $432 per semester ($25.58 per unit up to maximum of $287.38 for the summer term) - effective in fall 2021 for the purpose of expanding and renovating the Aztec Recreation Center facility and adding additional recreational outdoor field space?

VOTER PAMPHLET

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

ADVISORY STUDENT FEE REFERENDUM

MARCH 6 - 7, 2018

Polling Hours

Polling begins Tuesday, March 6th at 8 a.m. and concludes Wednesday, March 7th at 7 p.m. To vote, log in to the SDSU Web Portal at http://www.sdsu.edu/webportal and click on the link to eVote.

PUBLIC NOTICE

BALLOT FOR THE SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY ADVISORY STUDENT FEE REFERENDUM ON A PROPOSED INCREASE IN THE STUDENT BODY CENTER FEE

The proposed fee levels per semester, if this Fee is approved, for all students at San Diego State University, except those exclusively attending Imperial Valley Campus, are as indicated below:

ACADEMIC YEAR	FALL	SPRING	SUMMER
2018-19 (current)	$237	$237	$16.58 per unit/$187.38 max.
2019-20 (current)	$237	$237	$16.58 per unit/$187.38 max.
2020-21 (current)	$237	$237	$16.58 per unit/$187.38 max.
2021-22 *	$432	$432	$25.58 per unit/$287.38 max.

*The fee will be adjusted annually based on the Higher Education Price Index effective beginning with fall 2022

PROPOSED INCREASE TO MANDATORY STUDENT BODY CENTER FEE AND BACKGROUND

A fee increase is being proposed for the purpose of expanding and renovating the Aztec Recreation Center and adding additional recreation outdoor field space to provide access for all SDSU students. The existing membership fee (currently $19/month) will be eliminated and the Aztec Recreation Center, the Aztec Aquaplex, ARC Express, racquetball courts, tennis courts and recreation fields will be open for general use to all SDSU students.

All students at San Diego State University, except those exclusively attending Imperial Valley Campus, currently pay $237 per semester for the Student Body Center Fee. Along with user fees, the Student Body Center Fee pays for debt service and/or expenses associated with constructing, maintaining and/or operating the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, Viejas Arena, Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, Mission Bay Aquatic Center, Aztec Recreation Center, Aztec Aquaplex, SDSU Children’s Center, Scripps Cottage and the Recreation Field. The fee also provides for subsidized access for students to programs and activities within several of these facilities.

The Student Body Center Fee was initiated in 1963 and increased to $16 per semester in 1980 and by $8 in 1994 to fund the construction, programs and operation of Aztec Center, the original student union facility. The Fee was increased in 1988 by $47 per semester to fund the construction and operation of the Student Activity Center (Viejas Arena and Aztec Recreation Center). The Student Body Center Fee increased by $16 per semester in spring 2007 with the opening of the student-approved Aztec Aquaplex. In fall 2006, students approved a $56 per semester increase in the Student Body Center Fee ($11 effective fall 2006, an additional $45 effective spring 2010) for the renovation and expansion of the current Aztec Center. A variety of factors including a downturn in the economy, increased construction costs and a decline in projected future campus enrollments, resulted in the most recent increase in the Fee by $94 per semester that resulted in the demolition of the original Aztec Center student union and replacing it with the new Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union which opened in 2013.

This advisory referendum seeks input from students, except those exclusively attending Imperial Valley Campus, regarding this most recent proposed increase in the Student Body Center Fee, which would be implemented in fall 2021, the year in which the expanded and renovated Aztec Recreation Center facility is expected to be available for student use.

The proposed fee increase would be used to provide for expansion, renovation and operation of a sustainable/green design Aztec Recreation Center facility as well as for additional recreational outdoor field space. Anticipated to open in 2021, the proposed fee increase would provide increased and improved services to support current enrollment and projected enrollment growth. The existing Aztec Recreation Center opened in 1997. Since that time, current and projected student interest in recreation, wellness and fitness programs will have grown beyond the capacity of the current campus facilities.

When the Aztec Recreation Center (ARC) opened in 1997, it was the premier campus recreation facility in the CSU system. At present, the ARC is an aging facility with many high-demand areas undersized for SDSU enrollment and program demand. Recreation field space continues to be a highly valued commodity with numerous programs, as well as student clubs and organizations, vying for limited space. Additionally, student interests and needs have evolved since the ARC opened over twenty years ago. Modern campus recreation centers now incorporate program and design elements which support more inclusive environments, student engagement and a holistic approach to recreation and wellness, such as wellness programming spaces, gender neutral locker rooms and restrooms, social and study space, healthy eateries, and sustainable design elements while also appropriately addressing the needed recreation and fitness activity spaces.

In 2016, Associated Students commissioned the architectural and planning firm Gensler to develop a feasibility study including a program analysis, student feedback, development of a design concept and cost estimate for a large-scale expansion and renovation of the Aztec Recreation Center. As part of the study, an independent consulting firm, Brailsford & Dunlavey, was retained to develop financial projections for the long term operational costs for the expanded Aztec Recreation Center. The feasibility study and financial projections provided the documentation for the amount of the proposed fee increase.

Aztec Recreation currently employs an opt-in membership model for students. With this membership model, only the students who pay a membership fee have access to the Aztec Recreation facilities. The membership fee is currently $19 per month and is not included with tuition and fees. As the monthly membership fee is a separate fee paid with discretionary income, it has been commonly cited as a barrier to participation for many students. Presently, about 40% of SDSU students are members of Aztec Recreation. If the proposed $195 per semester increase is approved, all SDSU students would have access to the recreation facilities and the monthly membership fee would be eliminated once the $195 per semester increase begins - in fall 2021, the year in which the expanded and renovated Aztec Recreation Center facility is expected to be available for student use. If a student receives financial aid, the aid can be applied to cover the $195 per semester fee increase along with other required campus fees.

SUMMARY OF BALLOT ISSUE

A “YES” VOTE FOR THE REFERENDUM MEANS: The Student Body Center Fee would be increased as proposed above and the current Aztec Recreation Center facility would be expanded and renovated with a sustainable/green design and additional recreation field space will be developed.

The existing membership fee (currently $19/month) will be eliminated and the Aztec Recreation Center, the Aztec Aquaplex, ARC Express, racquetball courts, tennis courts and Recreation fields will be open for general use to all SDSU students.

The current Aztec Recreation Center is 78,000 sq./ft. The project will include a combination of new footprint and renovation of existing space, which will add roughly 70,000 sq./ft. of space resulting in a total facility size of approximately 148,000 sq./ft.

Construction is estimated to start in summer 2019. The project is estimated to be completed in fall 2021. The project will be completed in phases. The ARC will continue to be accessible for use during the construction period and expanded recreation programming will be provided during construction. For example, the ARC Express hours will be expanded and group fitness classes will be offered in the student union and recreation field.

The expanded Aztec Recreation Center and field space will include:

Additional weight and cardio equipment space
Increase from 4 to 6 courts for intramural sport leagues, drop-in basketball, indoor soccer and volleyball
New Multi-Activity Court (MAC) for indoor soccer, badminton, volleyball, fitness classes, special events and student club and organization activities
Increase from 2 to 5 fitness studios for group exercise classes such as yoga, pilates, group cycling, dance and boot camp
Wellness suite for services such as massage, nutritional coaching, and body composition testing
Social and study space
Healthy eatery
New gender neutral locker rooms and restrooms
New climbing and bouldering walls
New indoor running track with 3 lanes (8 laps = 1 mile)
Office and meeting room space
Storage space
Sustainable design elements – LEED Double Platinum certification will be pursued for the expanded ARC
Additional recreation field space for drop-in recreation, intramural sport leagues, sport clubs, fitness classes and student clubs and organizations to accommodate demand for recreational sports activities such as soccer, lacrosse, rugby, flag football and ultimate frisbee

Additionally, the proposed project would include the following sustainable features:

Permeable paving
Native adapted vegetation
Bike lockers
Low water landscaping
Enhanced insulation and high efficiency glazing
Low velocity fans
Efficient lighting systems
Photovoltaics
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood
Enhanced ventilation
Windows creating natural light
Low emitting materials
Low flow/waterless fixtures
Gray water recycling
Recycled Materials

A “NO” VOTE FOR THE REFERENDUM MEANS: The Student Body Center Fee would not be increased as proposed and the existing Aztec Recreation Center and recreation field space will remain unchanged. Additionally, the current opt-in membership model for students would continue and the current $19 per month membership fee will increase significantly, estimated to increase to $29 per month by 2021, to cover escalating operational costs including, but not limited to, increases in minimum wage, third party costs, and utilities. With likely significant enrollment increases and the anticipated demands of the on-campus residential population as SDSU grows from 4,600 to 7,300 students over the next two years, accessibility to high-quality recreation facilities and programs will become an even greater challenge for students than it already is.

The increasing demand from SDSU students for Aztec Recreation Center services and programs, as well as recreation field space, will continue to result in increasingly crowded facilities, wait times for equipment and drop-in recreation, wait lists for some programs, and limited opportunities in others.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS: Aztec Recreation Center was built and is required to operate exclusively with mandatory student fees and program user fees, without the benefit of tax support or other university funding. The facilities are leased to and operated by the Associated Students of San Diego State University for the benefit of SDSU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors. Aztec Recreation Center’s operations and programs are supported primarily from a portion of the mandatory Student Body Center Fee along with revenues from opt-in membership user fees and program revenues.

The proposed increase of $195 in the current SDSU mandatory Student Body Center Fee, except those exclusively attending Imperial Valley Campus, will raise the Fee from the current amount of $237 per semester ($16.58 per unit up to maximum of $187.38 for the summer term) to $432 per semester ($25.58 per unit up to maximum of $287.38 for the summer term). The increase will be effective in fall 2021, the year in which the expanded and renovated Aztec Recreation Center facility is expected to be available for student use.

The increased Student Body Center Fee revenue, together with increased revenues from operations, is anticipated to adequately provide for the construction and operation of the expanded and renovated Aztec Recreation Center facility through the foreseeable future. The total project cost of the expanded and renovated Aztec Recreation Center is estimated to be approximately $75 million.

Budget & Finance