Architects’ renderings of the University of Illinois Springfield’s proposed student union made their debut last week on a 16-foot wide billboard at the site and at a campus convocation.
“It has lots of students talking about it,” said Chancellor Susan Koch of the drawings of the $20 million building to be paid for mostly by student fees. “It’s creating tremendous excitement, and not just here at the chancellor’s office.”
With UIS fall semester classes starting today, Koch said if the university is able to stick to its time line, bids for construction will be sought by the end of 2014.
“We’re optimistic it could open in early 2016,” she said. “We’re right on schedule now.”
Students voted in April 2012 to increase fees to pay for construction of a union.
Starting in 2016, a full-time undergraduate student at UIS will pay $200 a semester to finance construction. Part-time undergraduates will pay $100 per semester, and graduate students will pay $25 per credit hour up to eight hours. Students enrolled in an online degree-seeking program will not pay any student union fees.
The story was published by The State Journal-Register on August 26, 2013.
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