Trustees Approved Modified Plans for Main Street Date: May 26, 2000 By: Chris Curran Phone: (513) 556-1806 Archive: Campus News The UC Board of Trustees approved a modified version of a $185.5 million Campus Life complex Tuesday, May 23rd, clearing the way for construction to begin January 2001. The modifications include a new student fee structure, additional classroom space, and a new construction schedule which will keep Zimmer Auditorium open and operating until the Tangeman University Center renovation is complete. In addition, a "mini-Main Street" complex will be built to replace key services lost to the TUC renovation. The complex is estimated to cost $8 million and will be located in the McMicken Commons area. Construction for that is expected to start later this year. "This is a great example of how shared governance can work," said Richard Karp, professor of biology and chair of the Faculty Senate Planning Committee. "We pushed, and we've been heard." Karp reviewed the modified plans during the regular May Faculty Senate meeting and the All-University Faculty Meeting May 16. He noted that the changes respond to both student and faculty complaints. For example, students at branch campuses and most graduate students will be exempt from the new student fees. The quarterly fees will also be phased in, starting at $20 per quarter in Fall 2000 and gradually escalating to $100 per quarter in Fall 2002. The movie theater originally planned in the renovated TUC will actually become a primary auditorium for classes and special lectures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Swift Hall will be dedicated solely as a classroom facility, and additional classrooms seating 60-80 students will be built as an annex to the new student recreation facility in the Laurence Hall area of campus. The Student Life complex will still contain significantly improved recreational facilities, new housing, and wider choices in food and shopping. The goal is to increase the number of students living on campus and to bolster recruitment and retention efforts. It has been called the "Fourth Imperative" of the Campus Master Plan.