A vote to pass a tuition will take place at the board of trustees meeting this Thursday and Friday. The tuition increase is going towards the funding of The Center for Lifetime Sports renovation. If approved, the increase will be 1.2 percent each year for the next two years.

“The only way we’re going to get this expansion is through the students,” Judith Banes, Dedman Center department director said at a presentation to the Student Senate Tuesday.

The renovation is projected to cost $25 million. The improved center will include a three-story rock climbing wall, a recreational pool for water sports, more court space, expanded workout facilities, a juice bar, outdoor basketball courts, a sand volleyball facilities and more class room space.

A recreation center is not just a place that builds community, it is also a needed tool for recruitment and retention, Banes said.

“The students surveyed have voiced that we need this renovation,” Britt Moen, Student Body Vice President said. “We are extremely behind in comparison to our benchmark schools. The bottom line is that students today are very health conscious and need a place they can exercise.”

A major donor for the Dedman Center did not come forward during the capital campaign.

In an October article of The Daily Campus the university set February as the deadline for finding a donor. It was estimated that if a donor wasn’t found that tuition would increase by 2 percent – 0.8 percent more than the currently proposed increase.

“In all the research I’ve done and seen presented, rec centers help the university build a stronger student community,” Steven Schindler, Student Representative said to the Board of Trustees.

Thursday’s vote will put into motion the renovation which has been proposed for the last 10 years.

“The benefits definitely outweighs the tuition downside,” Moen said.

The current Dedman Center is the smallest in square footage on a list of 13 benchmark and Texas schools, measuring only 43,000 square feet. Student Senate officers and Banes said that at this time the facility is an embarrassment to the University. This is supported by the fact that it is not a stop on the campus tour given to prospective students.

The university plans to break ground on the expansion in December and open the facility in May 2005.