Although students voted against the renovation and expansion of the Reitz Union, a new union may still be on the horizon.
With 56 percent of students voting against funding repairs and 55 percent voting against funding the expansion, the project probably won't move as quickly as advocates hoped.
Student Body president-elect Ashton Charles said the project is a priority for her as she prepares to take office in May. She maintained that she would do her best to represent student opinions.
Charles said Student Government will explore different options for funding, including the Capital Improvement Trust Fund, a fund to which all Florida public university students contribute.
Eddie Daniels, executive director of the Reitz Union, said the union still has needs that must be met like maintenance and capacity issues.
He said he favors renovation and expansion because it would be more cost-effective than repair in the long run.
Ryan Moseley, the Renew Your Reitz committee chairman, said the Renew Your Reitz campaigners were pleased with the results from the vote considering the short amount of time they had to promote the union’s renovations and expansions.
“This campaign should have been a six-month campaign,” he said.
According to Student Body President Jordan Johnson, a student fee would cover about $60 million of the $90 million project.
Bret Seferian, bargaining committee chairman for Graduate Assistants United, said he would be surprised if Johnson tried to push too hard for the fee.
“It would be a shame if he tried to force something on the students they don’t want,” he said. “What’s the point of a referendum?”
Student Alliance party leader Ben Cavataro said he feels advocates for the project are ignoring students because they didn’t get the result they wanted.
“I think the whole point of democracy is that you’re supposed to listen to people," he said. "Right now, those in charge are completely out of touch."
