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SGA tears up the foundation for its remodeling plans

By James Kruger
jkruger1@mscd.edu

Metro’s Student Government Assembly’s office remodeling plans are in a deconstruction phase with a unanimous senate vote Feb. 13 to free up the money previously earmarked for the project.

In January, the SGA voted to set aside $28,650 of their budget from student fees to purchase new furniture and adjust walls in the office to create a new conference room and revise how the space was used. The plan raised controversy within the senate, and Student Services requested it be reviewed to ensure a long-term solution that wouldn’t require additional changes. The funds for the project were set aside by the SGA.

According to SGA President Jack Wylie, a team of SGA representatives will develop a new plan to present to the senate, but the original plan isn’t moving forward.

“It’s almost dead in the water,” Sen. Kailee Higginson said. “We’re removing the earmark because we’re sure there might be more important things than the renovation,” he added, saying he is for new furniture but against structural changes.

Wylie said the new plan will be itemized and more transparent. He emphasized the need for a review of how to best utilize the space, which he said was designed for 10 people.

“It’s not like we’re putting in a sauna, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and buying MP3 players,” he said. “It’s really simple — in order for us to do our job, we need a space to do it and we need a space to do our work.”

The SGA has five members of the executive branch, a five-person court, a five-person election commission and 15 senators. Wylie said the office does not have the capacity or equipment for all its members and new desks and desk space would make the assembly more organized and efficient.

The Auraria Higher Education Center worked with SGA to develop the estimate for the remodel, and Wylie said the cheapest options were sought.

Still, some students took issue with the plan and said it wasn’t cheap enough.

“It’s the stupidest idea I ever heard,” Metro human services junior John Davis said. “I don’t think they should use our student fees. There’s better uses for that money.”

The SGA is funded by a little more than $5 per student, according to Wylie, who welcomes any students who disagree with the remodel to stop by its Tivoli office.

The money originally set aside for the remodel was from a $50,000 surplus the SGA had amassed during the past three years.

Higginson said he wanted the money used for other SGA-funded activities, such as the recently developed food bank and a 5k run, before the term ends in June. He also said he disagrees with reasons given for the major structural changes.

“Doing things for students is important to do with student fee money,” he said, adding the efficiency problem of the senate “is a leadership thing and senators getting off their butts to do what they need to do.”