Changes to Norris University Center, an increase in Northwestern’s club sports budget and minor renovations to Shanley Pavilion should be visible improvements to NU this year, according to members of the Undergraduate Budget Priority Committee.
UBPC is a student group that researches NU students’ financial preferences each year. In February, they present recommendations to the full budget planning committee, whose members include Associate Provost Stephen Fisher, Vice President of Business and Finance Eugene Sunshine and Vice President of Student Affairs William Banis, UBPC chairman Jonathan Marino said. The budget planning committee announces its approval of any recommendations in May.
Most requests made in online polls last year involved allocating university funds to club sports, and the creation of an airport shuttle and a South Campus coffeehouse. UBPC included all three of those ideas in their proposal, and two were met with some interest, said Marino, an Education senior.
Former UBPC chairman Erik Neinstedt, Communication ?5, said the only recommendation rejected by the full budget planning committee was the creation of the airport shuttle, because the Chicago Transit Authority recently added a bus from its Davis station to O’Hare Airport.
“For everything else, we received money or got a promise it would be looked into,” Neinstedt said.
Marino added that although students request renovations to Norris every year, administrators are hesitant to allocate funds because they say Norris will be remodeled in the future.
“There’s always rumors that someday Norris will be remodeled; we’ve heard that for years,” Marino said. “We took the approach that students want to see changes now, so we thought of specific changes.”
The full budget planning committee designated $84,000 for small changes at Norris, including new furniture on the first floor lounge and updating meeting rooms to include projectors and other technology, Marino said.
The full budget planning committee agreed to increase funding for club sports to $35,000. Of that, $10,000 will provide on-site medical personnel at some club-sports practices and events, and $25,000 will be used for transportation costs. UBPC requested about $50,000.
UBPC members also said $20,000 will be used to create a career resource center in the library, although it will be up to Student Affairs and the library to plan for the project, Marino said.
Shanley Pavilion was allocated $35,000 for fire sprinklers and maintenance, including repairing ceiling leaks, fixing air conditioning and lighting, adjusting the floor levels and removing and repairing asbestos, according to UBPC’s proposal. Marino said changes to Shanley are also usually one of students’top requests.
No money was allocated to build a coffeehouse on South Campus, but the full budget committee was receptive to UBPC’s proposal, Marino said.
Prior UBPC recommendations included renovations to the Multicultural Center, 1936 Sheridan Road, and new equipment in campus gymnasiums.
Reach Marcy Miranda at [email protected].
