The proposed $12.5 million student recreation facility backed by Student Body President James Orr topped the agenda in Thursday night’s meeting of the Student Government Association Senate with several Campus Recreation employees in attendance.

The facility, slated for completion for the Fall 2009 semester, was the topic of a forum last month in the Watkins Auditorium, with SGA leaders, Campus Recreation Director Gina McClure, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs David Belote and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Al Hooten giving information on the project.

The building project would bring with it a fee increase for students, dependent on what features students wish to include in the more than 80,000 square foot facility. Administrators say students would not be assessed fees until the facility becomes operational.

Sen. Jeremy Johnson brought a resolution to the floor supporting the construction of the facility, which would be built at Pacer Pond. Sen. Rebecca Dailey co-sponsored the resolution with Johnson.

Orr read letters from students supporting and opposing the center and asked senators to consider both sides of the argument.

Orr said he spoke to several student groups since the forum to gauge opinion of whether or not students want a recreational facility at all, and if they do, how much they want included in the facility.

“From the organizations I spoke to, it was my opinion that all but one wanted to build the rec facility and build it all the way,” Orr said.

Additionally, SGA set up an online poll through the myUTMartin portal system asking students if they support the facility’s construction and how much they would be willing to pay for it.

Orr told senators that with 2,028 participants in the poll, 872, or 43 percent, opposed constructing the facility.

Six percent of participants supported the university-backed proposal to assess students an $80 per semester fee. That proposal would include four basketball courts but would not include a swimming pool.

Twenty percent of SGA poll participants voted to support building a recreation facility that would include three basketball courts and a swimming pool. Thirty-one percent of participants supported constructing a facility that would include four basketball courts and a swimming pool at a price tag of $103 per student per semester.

Even though the largest plurality of students voted not to build a facility, Orr said senators should look at everyone who voted “yes” and “no.” Orr said 1,156, or 57 percent, voted for some derivative of “yes,” while 872 voted “no.”

Orr said he strongly recommended that the Senate pass the resolution.

Johnson and Dailey’s resolution states that SGA “strongly supports the building of a Student Recreational Facility” provided that students not be charged fees for the facility until the building is in use; faculty, staff and administration who wish to use the facility would be charged as much or more than the student fee; the facility will be geared for student recreation and intramurals and athletic practices, games and events will not take place in the facility.

The resolution also states that if those stipulations are not met, then SGA opposes the construction of the facility.

During debate on the resolution, Johnson recommended an amendment that SGA support building the facility with four basketball courts and a swimming pool, which would cost students $103 per semester. Johnson’s amendment passed with one dissention from Sen. Ryan Mouser.

The Senate further amended the resolution to say that SGA “reserves the right to approve plans before construction of the new recreation facility.”

Sen. Emre Serbest expressed skepticism over Senate passing the resolution without student approval.

“Whereas I am not against it, but there is big opposition and since the opposition is fairly big and since this is such a large capital project, I suggest taking this resolution to university-wide referendum,” Serbest said.

No further action on Serbest’s proposed referendum was made. Some senators expressed interest in including a bowling alley and other amenities, and Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs David Belote said that the plans belong to the students.

“There is a plan. What we have is a floor plan, a rendition,” Belote said. “They’re going to do it like you want it.”

In a roll-call vote, senators approved the resolution with only Ryan Mouser voting in opposition.

In other SGA business:

• Chris Cherry of the Procedures Committee presented a workshop and question-and-answer session on parliamentary procedure.
• A motion to impeach Sen. Harrison Woodard for absenteeism was tabled until the Nov. 17 Senate meeting. Woodard has amassed three and one-half absences this semester.
• The Senate unanimously approved Senate Resolution 5, which recognizes Mike Munkel for his longtime service to UTM and resolves that the first Sunday in November be entitled “Mike Munkel Appreciation Day.”