People are pointing fingers in the confusion about funding for the planned Ball State University recreation center expansion, but they are also taking steps to clarify the issue.
When Student Government Association began seeking student support of the expansion, students were told they would only begin paying for it when the facilities were complete. Depending on several factors, including final design and fundraising, that might not be true for all students.
The more successful fundraising is, the less students will have to pay, Tom Morrison, associate vice president for Human Resources and State Relations, said. The former SGA leaders were not mislead, he said, but there was not a lot of discussion about funding the project.
"We didn't talk a lot about student fees, but what we did talk about was not charging student fees now," he said.
Former SGA President Steve Geraci said members of Team Us discussed the task force meetings and agreed on what they heard in them.
"We do distinctly recall in the administrative task force meetings being reassured that students wouldn't be paying for it," he said. "It is not something Team Us has done wrong. It's something that the administration has not communicated well to us or flat out changed their opinion."
After a discussion with Morrison today about several topics including the bonding process, Lisec said she could see how a misunderstanding could have led to the problem. Instead of being mislead, it might not have been clear to members of Team Us how the process works.
"I think they believed it was just a miscommunication problem," Lisec said, "and it goes back to this: They mean we aren't going charge students like Miami."
When some universities, such as Miami University in Ohio, undertake a project such as a rec center, Morrison said they would begin working the costs into the budget well before the building was constructed. The intention of Ball State administrators is to wait until actual construction begins in an effort to limit the number of students helping pay for the expansion before it is completed, he said.
"At some point, if the university goes to build this, we are going to need cash to pay for this," he said, "and at that point we will have to levy a fee. The goal isn't to charge students, but at some point you have to start the project."
The state will only loan money, not just give it, to universities for buildings like rec centers. Therefore, the money must come from other sources.
"They have a loan now, and from the day they start construction they have to start paying back the loan," Lisec said.
The money might come from multiple sources, and she said Ball State President Jo Ann Gora intended to assist in fundraising. SGA Treasurer John Boone said he believed alumni and other people associated with Ball State might be willing to help sponsor the expansion.
"I really want to push and get as much fundraising money as possible, so as students we wouldn't have to pay for it until we actually go in and indulge in the facilities," Boone said.
Discussions are ongoing, and Lisec said SGA had a continued role in bridging communication between students and administrators.
"I think it is going to the administration and voicing concerns of the students and reminding them that we did pass legislation on that assumption," she said, "and working with the administration to make sure the cost for students isn't as high as it could be."
The project is in the early stages, Morrison said, and budgetary issues were not going to be worked out immediately. Construction is not scheduled to start for about two years, and during that time the cost to students might change depending on the final design, cost of construction and the amount of fundraising done. Although there is time to deal with funding issues, Lisec said that did not mean they should wait.
"I understand it is not a problem that is going to affect us in the immediate future, but the students want answers to something that is going on and it's our job to get those answers," Lisec said.
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