Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the Student Union Initiative?
2. Why do we need these renovations?
3. Who developed the plan?
4. What were the results of the input by the campus community and professionals who evaluated the Unions?
5. How would the Student Union Initiative benefit the student body?
6. How much will student segregated fees increase and who else is helping to fund the Initiative?
7. What are some of the needs that are not being met for students currently?
8. Will the historic nature of Memorial Union be preserved during renovation?
9. What about the future of Union South?
10. What is green building?
11. Historically, have students contributed to Union building projects?
12. During the renovation and construction, will the Union still be able to provide space for meetings and programs?
13. Have other unions in the Midwest undergone significant renovating recently?
14. How does UW-Madison stack up against other UW System campuses concerning segregated fees toward Union operations and construction costs?
15. What are segregated fees?
16. Why is the cost of renovating Memorial Union ($80 million) higher than the cost of a new south campus union ($67 million)? Does this mean that the new union building will be cheaply made and not very well done?

1. What is the Student Union Initiative?
The Student Union Initiative is plan that has been proposed to fund improvements to the Wisconsin Union facilities (Memorial Union and Union South). Over 2,700 students signed a petition to get the Initiative on the ballot that allows the whole student body to vote on it October 17-19, 2006.

Since August 2005, the Union has worked with students, faculty, staff and community members as well as consultants to develop the proposed strategy to help determine what shape the Wisconsin Union facilities will take over the next 20 to 25 years. Details of the plan can be found in the About the Initiative.

University of Wisconsin-Madison students voted “yes” to an initiative that will preserve the stature of Memorial Union while significantly upgrade and renovate the nearly 80-year-old building and build a new “green” student union on the current site of Union South. According the paper ballot counted by Associate Students of Madison Student Election Commission, the Initiative passed by about 600 votes, 1671 to 900.

2. Why are these renovations needed?
Memorial Union is 77 years old and requires improvements to meet accessibility requirements for the disabled, as well as to modernize fire safety, ventilation, heating and cooling systems. Although these upgrades will need to be made even if the Student Union Initiative does not pass, without adequate funding, the work will have to be done piece by piece. There will not be enough funds to preserve the historical character of Memorial Union if the Initiative does not pass.

When Memorial Union was built in 1928, the student population was 8,000. When Union South was added in 1971, the student population was about 32,000. Today, it’s over 40,000 and the needs of the students as well as the entire university community have changed drastically.

In order to get the buildings up to current code, upgrades need to be made, including, but not limited to:

• Consolidating 26 different ventilation systems in Memorial Union
• Bringing the outdated fire alarm system up to code
• Increasing the energy efficiency of both buildings, particularly Memorial Union
• Installing sprinklers
• Undergoing needed technological improvements, such as wireless web capability and wiring
• Making everywhere in the buildings accessible to those with disabilities

3. Who developed the plan?
Student members of Union Council and Wisconsin Union staff helped to create the plan with the same consulting firm that helped complete the Campus Master Plan (Ayers Saint Gross), as well as other students, faculty, staff, and community members.
Ideas were developed over the past year thanks to the input of students, faculty, staff and current Union employees, on-campus workshops, student focus groups, a web survey, open forums, and professional advice.

4. What were the results of the input by the campus community and professionals who evaluated the Unions?
Regarding Memorial Union:

• Desire to preserve a campus landmark building
• Deal with deferred maintenance, address life safety issues, improve accessibility
• Meet the growing demand for student activity space
• Improve facilities to help build community on campus
• Preserve the role of the Union Theater for the long term
• Improve working conditions for staff and students

Regarding Union South:

• The building is underutlized because students feel the building is cold, sterile, and uninviting
• Too small to meet the growing demand
• Structure and site not suited for expansion
• Configuration limits programs and activities
• Renovation required rivals the cost of new construction

5. How would the Student Union Initiative benefit the student body?
The Student Union Initiative would shape the future of both Memorial Union and Union South, and provide many positive results for students.

Memorial Union:

• Upgrade systems and improve accessibility
• Maintain Memorial Union’s iconic structure
• Help preserve recent investments (Main Lounge and Second Floor Entrance)
• Increasing the amount and variety of student meeting and activity space by relocating some functions to a new south campus union.
• Greatly improving and adding restrooms throughout the building.
• Preserving and maintaining the historical nature of the building
• Making the entrances to Memorial Union more inviting and crowd friendly to enhance traffic flow throughout the building.
• Providing access to all floors, which involves ADA compliance and installing additional elevators.

Union South:
Building a new south campus Union on the site of the current Union South. Analysis has shown that is it just as cost effective to rebuild as to renovate, and with its ‘green’ design, would slash energy costs in the long-term. As planned, such a structure would:

• Create a new campus green space which serves as a gateway to the south side of campus
• Create an enduring campus center with its own identity in an evolving campus precinct
• Create a 21st Century green building, UW-Madison’s first LEED-rated example of sustainable design
• Move some functions from Memorial Union to create additional space
• Create an urban center providing entertainment, recreation and food including sports pub, coffee house and climbing wall
• Offer a true home for SOAR, creating positive first impressions for new students and their families
• Add a large event space for student dances, fairs, conferences and more
• Add an auditorium with 400 to 550 seats
• Feature lounge space with a skyline view

6. How much will student segregated fees increase and who else is helping to fund the Initiative?
For the first two years, students would pay $48 per semester for the project. After two years the rate will increase to at most $96 per semester, for students who will begin to see the benefits of the renovation.

Student fees are only covering up to 58% of the cost of the renovation; the rest will be provided through private funding and donations. With students providing the majority of the funding, they can keep the majority in keeping the Union student-need centered.

For more info, see the Financial Information tab.

Information from ASM on segregated fees

7. What are some of the needs that are not being met for students currently?

• Meeting space for student organizations: the Union had to turn away 1,300 student meeting requests last year, not counting the number last minute needs that are not requested because students through experience realize space is at a premium.
• Technological upgrades: not all rooms in Union buildings are wired adequately for the Internet, or up to par with other meeting spaces on campus regarding heating, air conditioning and audio visual accoutrements.
• The six Hoofer Outdoor Recreation clubs are cramped for space even though their memberships combined equals several thousand. Storage and meeting space are always concerns for them.
• Students will also benefit from additional lounge space, program space for the arts, recreational and activities space, additional food and retail opportunities and a renewed sense of community in the heart of campus. The project will ensure that the Union remains a campus icon for future generations of students to enjoy.
• Union South is not currently meeting student needs. This project will ensure that there are two facilities meeting students' needs in very different locations on the campus.

8. Will the historic nature of Memorial Union be preserved during renovation?
Yes, that is one of the main goals. Students tell us that the murals, architecture, light fixtures, the tables in the Rathskeller, Great Hall, Tripp Commons and the Paul Bunyan Room, for example, are part of what give the Union its personality and continue to resonate with alumni for decades. These aspects will be preserved. Memorial Union needs to be renovated, not remodeled; the ambience will not change but be enhanced, as has been done with the Main Lounge and the nearby entrance way on the 2nd floor.

9. What about the future of Union South?
Results from the surveys, focus groups and input from students, faculty, staff and members indicate that Union South is not fulfilling student needs in its current form. Architects at ASG report that it is about the same cost to construct a new building as it is to renovate Union South. With a new building, students will receive the space for programming, activities, studying and recreation that does not currently exist.

The Campus Master Plan calls for a new Union South to be built on the same site sometime in the next 20 years. Costs will only escalate over time. By passing the referendum, construction will begin in a year or two.

In the Unions there is already a shortage of meeting and event spaces, and in order to reserve certain rooms as it is, bookings need to be made many months ahead. A south campus union is necessary to not only provide new possibilities for student event space, but also keep up with the high levels of room requests that are made each year.

10. What is green building?
Green building is also known as “sustainable building” or “environmental building” and refers to the practice of increasing efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water and materials. It also includes reducing negative impact on human health and environment during construction.

Benefits of green building includes a reduction in operating costs due to energy and water saving technology, improved public health since indoor air quality is usually higher and a reduction in environmental impacts by lessening storm water runoff and the heat island effect.

11. Historically, have students contributed to Union building projects?
Yes. The Memorial Union was built in 1928 mainly with help from students who pledged their own funds and sought donations; most of the money came from students who would have graduated by they time the building opened. Half of the student body donated $50; an equivalent of $500 in today’s dollars.

12. During the renovation and construction, will the Union still be able to provide space for meetings and programs?
The Union will work aggressively and creatively to find alternate space and locations for meetings and programs. Registered Student Organization requests will be a top priority. We intend that, while student events and programs may have to move around the campus somewhat during the renovation and construction projects, the number of student-sponsored activities on the campus should not decline during that time. We hope all of us, the Union and the hundreds of student organizations, will be able to work together to get through the construction period and look forward to the time when we will have increased capacity and improved space for all of our events.

13. Have other unions in the Midwest undergone significant renovating recently?
Yes. During the last 12 years, most of the unions in the UW system have been renovated or are about to be, as have eight out of the other ten Big Ten universities. In addition, Northwestern is going through the same process as UW-Madison currently.

14. How does UW-Madison stack up against other UW System campuses concerning segregated fees toward Union operations and construction costs?
For the $96/semester construction cost, which would be implemented after two years of $48/semester fees, UW-Madison ranks about midway for construction cost. For seg fees for Union operations, we are one of the lowest. The Student Union Initiative increase would put UW-Madison in about the middle of the pack.

15. What are segregated fees?
As defined by the UW Office of the Registrar, the term segregated fees describes "charges in addition to instructional fees assessed to all students for services, programs and facilities that support the primary mission of the university.”

16. Why is the cost of renovating Memorial Union ($80 million) higher than the cost of a new south campus union ($67 million)? Does this mean that the new union building will be cheaply made and not very well done?

The renovation costs for Memorial Union include many square feet of "historic restoration" expenses. These expenses are often quite a bit higher than new construction expenses because of the additional labor that is required to do this painstaking work. Preserving spaces with murals on the walls (like the Rathskeller) while also installing new plumbing, electrical, and fire safety systems can be slow and delicate work. Some parts of the Memorial Union project are estimated to cost over $300 per square foot to accomplish the upgrades that are needed while preserving the historic nature of the building.

The new construction costs for a new south campus union are estimated to be anywhere from $225 - $250 a square foot. While this is less than the historic preservation costs of Memorial Union, it is not a figure that "cuts corners" or that will result in a cheaply made building. One of the overall goals for the new south campus union is to build an enduring campus structure that stands the test of time and creates a sense of loyalty in students and for alumni -- similar to that of Memorial Union.