The Reitz Union needs renovations, and students may have to foot the bill.
Reitz Union Executive Director Eddie Daniels gave a presentation at Tuesday night's Student Senate meeting about repairs and construction costs for the Reitz Union. Daniels said the repairs would rid the Reitz Union Hotel of asbestos and replace the plumbing waste lines and the building's lighting system. The project would cost about $42.5 million over 15 years.
He said the money the union generates from sales and students' Activity & Service Fees, which are collected through tuition, wouldn't cover the costs.
Daniels said he plans to ask other areas of the university for money and mentioned possibly implementing a student fee to help cover the costs.
"We need money from somewhere rather soon," he said. "I'm going to be making this presentation every opportunity I get."
After Daniels' presentation, senators passed a bill increasing the administrative fee SG pays to UF from $150,000 to $300,000.
The fee helps cover university services including the University Police Department, finance and accounting and UF Human Resource Services.
Earlier in the meeting former Progress Party Sen. Dave Schneider introduced Oscar Otzoy, a member of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
Otzoy described the poor conditions and enslavement tomato pickers face in Immokalee, Fla.
"And as farm workers we are united today, and we are struggling to make sure these types of abuses no longer happen," he said.
He urged senators to push Aramark to pay one more cent for every pound of tomatoes it purchases, which would boost the wages of Immokalee workers about 60 to 70 percent.
Otzoy's speech received a standing ovation.
The initial resolution supporting Immokalee workers was voted down in September, but Schneider said it will be reintroduced at next week's meeting.
A resolution is a piece of legislation that supports an opinion but takes no action.
