Student groups supplement furnishing budget

Groups have been asked to pay a one-time furniture fee for new student center.

By Krissy Tripp

Published March 5, 2009

The new student center will contain all new furniture for student groups, but the groups have been asked to help pay a one-time fee that will total $2 million.

The furnishing budget is separate from the center's $60 million budget.

Student Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese said they didn't want old furniture in the new student center, and some of the furniture from Brady Commons was so old groups wouldn't be able to move or reuse it.

Student groups that aren't able to allocate the funds for their furniture may ask the Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee for funding.

SFCIC Chairman Bryan VanGronigen said the committee listens to presentations from various student groups asking for money. Froese has made presentations for furniture on behalf of the Office of Greek Life, the Student Design Center, the Women's Center and the Rape and Sexual Violence Prevention Center.

"The job of the committee is to listen to these proposals, meet and discuss final allocations, and then recommend to the vice chancellor for student affairs what projects should be funded with student fees," VanGronigen said in an e-mail.

To decide if fees should be given to any group, the committee asks how the fees will benefit students, how many students benefit, whether the improvements stay with the university and if any other departments fund the proposals. SFCIC will decide where to allocate funds to at the end of April and send those recommendations to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs.

Different groups need different amounts of funding. For example, Greek Life needs 80 percent funding, Froese said. Missouri Students Association President Jordan Paul said MSA committed to pay 60 percent of its furniture costs. Other groups, such as Sustain Mizzou, don't have to contribute to the furniture fee because the Organization Resource Group is covering all organizations under it.

"As a student org we don't directly have to contribute to the furniture fee," Sustain Mizzou President Patrick Margherio said.

Froese said student groups should ask their advisors to look over the spreadsheets to see how much money they need to allocate.

"I think they need to be talking to the department of student life to determine if they have furniture finishes and equipment needs," Froese said.

Paul said the 60 percent promised by MSA was about $100,000. They actually saved $120,000, so they were able to apply $20,000 to Design Center furniture costs.

MSA will also give $40,000 to $45,000 for furniture for MUTV/Channel 23 and KCOU and about $12,600 for the Rape and Sexual Violence Prevention Center, but they're still computing figures for the expensive equipment costs for the two organizations.

Paul said they're planning for their 10 to 15 percent rollover to help pay for phase two furniture, and he doesn't foresee MSA writing capital expenses into the budget.

The University Bookstore moved to the new student center in January, but it is keeping its old furniture. Froese said the bookstore remodeled in 1996 and 1997, and didn't want to take a loss, so the new bookstore was designed around what could be reused. Reusing bookstore furniture was originally figured into the budget.

"It was a good cost savings," Froese said.

Although bids for phase two came in under budget, Froese said the funds are very specific for what they are intended to do. The savings will not go toward furniture costs, but to addressing square footage concerns instead, she said. When phase one came in under budget, the center lost square footage, and now they plan to ensure the Shack programming area is large enough to meet student needs.