Spring Break
Our Take
Majority opinions of The Red & Black's editorial board.
Issue date: 6/4/09 Section: Opinions
After much ado - and construction - Tate II finally opened its doors Monday. The expansion that we have all been walking around for months is completed , and it's about time.
The University proposed the expansion in 2005, after allowing the students to vote on it. Yet we all know that only a small percentage of students vote in the Student Government Association elections, so how many would bother to vote for this? Especially since those polled would no longer be students at the time of completion.
While adding on to Tate will no doubt give the University a student center to rival those of other SEC schools, there were unforeseen difficulties along the road to completion.
Current students have questioned whether or not the University should be expanding a building with the economy in shambles. Yet at the time of approval there was no way short of calling Ms. Cleo that those in charge could have known what would happen.
The University started with an initial budget of $58.2 million which would come from a portion of the student activity fee. There was a referendum vote in the spring of 2005 where the students approved a $25-per-semester increase to compensate for this.
However, the University did an admirable job of providing several services and venues that are desirable to the student body. The building provides a decent study atmosphere and offers several options for dining in between classes.
Even with the myriad of amenities available, we hope that student organizations rent out spaces in the center. Otherwise there is a slim chance the building will pay for itself, as it was originally intended to do. Groups continually use the other on-campus facilities, by utilizing Tate II they will be justifying the student fees that we have all been complaining about.
Even with the numerous good intentions that brought about its conception, there have been numerous barriers that halted the construction of Tate II. Now, with the economy being what it is, it seems unlikely that the University will be earning the millions it anticipated.
Despite everything, we in the South still know that football is king, so hopefully we can count on donations from alumni in order to win the privilege of parking in one of the 200 spots in the Tate deck on Saturdays this fall.
So though the expansion was a good idea at the time, the editorial board remains skeptical as to whether or not Tate II will live up to the expectations.
-Megan Otto for the editorial board
The University proposed the expansion in 2005, after allowing the students to vote on it. Yet we all know that only a small percentage of students vote in the Student Government Association elections, so how many would bother to vote for this? Especially since those polled would no longer be students at the time of completion.
While adding on to Tate will no doubt give the University a student center to rival those of other SEC schools, there were unforeseen difficulties along the road to completion.
Current students have questioned whether or not the University should be expanding a building with the economy in shambles. Yet at the time of approval there was no way short of calling Ms. Cleo that those in charge could have known what would happen.
The University started with an initial budget of $58.2 million which would come from a portion of the student activity fee. There was a referendum vote in the spring of 2005 where the students approved a $25-per-semester increase to compensate for this.
However, the University did an admirable job of providing several services and venues that are desirable to the student body. The building provides a decent study atmosphere and offers several options for dining in between classes.
Even with the myriad of amenities available, we hope that student organizations rent out spaces in the center. Otherwise there is a slim chance the building will pay for itself, as it was originally intended to do. Groups continually use the other on-campus facilities, by utilizing Tate II they will be justifying the student fees that we have all been complaining about.
Even with the numerous good intentions that brought about its conception, there have been numerous barriers that halted the construction of Tate II. Now, with the economy being what it is, it seems unlikely that the University will be earning the millions it anticipated.
Despite everything, we in the South still know that football is king, so hopefully we can count on donations from alumni in order to win the privilege of parking in one of the 200 spots in the Tate deck on Saturdays this fall.
So though the expansion was a good idea at the time, the editorial board remains skeptical as to whether or not Tate II will live up to the expectations.
-Megan Otto for the editorial board
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