TO THE EDITOR:
In the face of colorful fliers, relentless signature gathering, and all this talk of student opinion, we have completely neglected one very important segment of our student body: graduate students.
Nearly 40 percent of the students on this campus are graduate students who seldom frequent main-campus facilities, including the Student Union. Even with the well-advertised improvements, we have no reason to believe that the “UCommons” would change that.
Nevertheless, the current proposal would commit all students (including graduate) to pay this biannual fee for the next 30 years or so. Please bear in mind that all students already pay $80.75 to service the debt for the Union each year.
I would be much more comfortable if this additional fee applied only to undergraduate students, who would actually be using the space. As much as I’d enjoy a “vibrant study space” with adjustable walls and doors, I can’t justify requiring my grad student friends to pay for it, even if the majority of students do want to buy $8 pairs of socks.
Rep. Stephen Estes
Student Congress, District 6
