Union Well Inc. and Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez are planning on spending at least $175 million on an expansion to student gathering spaces including the Well, Union and a new, state of the art arena.

Gonzalez mentioned in his Fall Address, as well as at the Expansion Town Hall meeting on Thursday, these places are overcrowded and students would like an Arena. 

We agree that at certain times of day it is hard to get around in the Union, but it is even harder to get into my classes.

We would like to know where the arena that was included in that vote is. According to a Sacramento Bee article from March 2004, Union fees collected every semester go towards paying back the $50 million bond that was slated in the 2004 referendum to pay for this expansion. The 6,500 to 8,000 seat arena included in the referendum, has been reduced to an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 seats for use as a commencement ceremony space, concert location and more room for intramural sports.

It wouldn’t be a total loss for students, we appreciate being able to work out and shower in the same building we go for a check ups. 

Many of us couldn’t afford a gym membership or medical coverage if it was not included in our fees. Having a movie theater on campus with more places to eat, and even a pub, sounds luxurious; we would never have to leave.

Even then, the Well membership dries up over the summer unless students pay a summer use fee and the clinic is limited in services. 

These “extras” the fees aren’t paying such as group fitness classes, summer use and mental health services, should be used to help pay the bond so new spending is not necessary for this latest expansion.

We imagine this is how students felt in 2004 when they began paying for a building that took 6 years to build and now they cannot access without paying more. If the students from 2004 finished their degrees in the mythical four year allotment, they may never have even seen the Well. 

This makes one wonder why their Union fees – inclusive of a semester-only pass to the Well – are going to be raised $250 a semester for a project that will cost anywhere from $175 to $182 million dollars.

With every class space absolutely full between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and playing class roulette with professors who may or may not be able to take on an extra student, getting necessary classes at reasonable times can feel impossible.

Most would probably rather pay $250 more a semester to guarantee they get the last two classes they need. 

We know we are not the only students willing to see that money go directly into the pockets of the professors teaching, even if it means the school must hire assistant professors who temporarily teach in one of the group fitness rooms at the Well.

We’d also be willing to put that extra money and all the other extra fees toward students who lose classes because of financial hardship – such as a lack of books and loss of financial aid – or who even need a few more bucks for gas or food.

Let’s stop compounding the problem of student overcrowding in classes and super seniors at Sac State by not funneling more money out of student pockets and into spaces that are not used for classes. 

Maybe then, fewer limitations on financial aid will be enforced on students who have had to take unnecessary classes to maintain their status and hopefully eek out enough units to get a degree.

Or maybe we all just stick around a few more years, with or without the classes we need and the financial aid to keep them. Maybe then we will be lucky enough to see the arena we built.