Students will foot the bill for an extensive $11.5 million renovation of the Memorial Union if the Board of Regents approves the project during their regular session next fall.

The Memorial Union Board and the Government of the Student Body have heard concerns from students regarding the renovation of the historical building. The GSB Senate voted 32-0-1 to approve the project April 3.

“[Students] have always taken the initiative to ensure the Memorial Union remains its best,” said Alex Olson, at-large student member of the Memorial Union Board of Directors.

Students will pay an additional $15 in student fees each semester starting in the fall of 2003 to pay for the extensive union project, which is the only building on campus under student jurisdiction.

The union has undergone 10 renovations since it opened Sept. 23, 1928, said Andy Tofilon, GSB president. The building has remained under the control of students because they have paid for the renovations over the years and continue to pay off past construction debts.

The proposed renovation project would provide three main additions to the Union as well as updates to individual rooms. The proposal was designed by the architecture firm Herbert, Lewis, Kruse and Blunck of Des Moines.

The first addition would provide direct handicapped access to the Recreation Center, University Book Store and the Sun Room. Concerns have been raised that the Memorial Union may not currently comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Tofilon said. It will offer a more attractive facade on the south side of the building facing Lincoln Way and would provide better access to the greek community.

The second addition would create handicapped accessibility on all floors from the parking garage and provide a home to a multicultural center.

The third addition would expand the food court area to the west and provide additional dining and meeting space. This addition would include a glass atrium with a view of Lake LaVerne.

“Besides the three additions, there will be a renovation of each room on every floor of the Union,” Tofilon said. “This is a top-to-bottom renovation.”

The cost would be added to the already outstanding $4.5 million debt from another renovation completed in 1995.

With funding derived from student fees, Olson estimates the project would be paid for by 2022.

“Control of the union is at stake in the next year or two,” Tofilon said. If the Memorial Union falls into a state of disrepair, the university could take control of the building, he said.

Student fees are the only viable option to pay for the renovation, Olson said.

The ISU Alumni Foundation may provide some funding for the project, but the university and ISU Foundation declined to help pay for the renovation at this time.

The Union was originally designed by W.T. Proudfoot of the architecture firm of Proudfoot, Rawson & Souers is Des Moines.

It was the designated design firm for the Iowa Board of Education, now known as the Board of Regents.

The classic-style architecture of the Memorial Union reflects the Greek and Roman influences employed by many architects of the time. Columns with Corinthian capitals, Paladian windows, triangular pediments and formally balanced facades highlight the classic design of the building.

The 2003 renovations will help streamline the various styles of architecture present in the building that have occurred due to numerous renovations since the union was completed in 1928, Tofilon said.

The renovation will help preserve the original Greek and Roman architecture originally intended for the building, he said.

A student fees committee will explore the proposal and make a recommendation to President Gregory Geoffroy.

The final decision will be made by the Board of Regents.