Jeremy Slate and the Green Cycle Group have been working hard to get a referendum on the ballot in support of a more “green” university. To accomplish that goal they would charge students a $3 fee to work on both renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.
In a press release Slate said, “This money would be placed in a fund for the sole purpose of bringing clean, renewable and/or sustainable energy to our campus. This will help keep energy costs low and reduce the negative environmental impacts of our facilities.” The fee would be a flat fee assessed to all students regardless of credit load.
The quest for a greener campus has been energized by a mandate to do so earlier this year by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Student Government President Eron McCormick has said he supports the idea.
Vice President of Facilities Management Ralph Zia said that his staff has visited other universities and solar panels on the roof of the P.E. Building are one of the ideas under consideration.
Slate said that one of the reasons given by the administration [Vice President of Finance and Administration Mark Wilcockson has also told the Independent] for the recent tuition increases was rising energy costs and a lack of increased funds from the state government to off set them.
Slate has been pushing for the new education building to be built using as much renewable energy sources and energy conservation features as possible. “Making any new construction or renovation a green building would be the project of first choice.” Said Slate in a separate GCG release
It continued “Buildings built to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard consume on average a third less energy and a third less water than standard buildings. Other projects include solar hot water panels atop the PE Building to heat the swimming pool, a solar electric system, more efficient climate control systems or a small wind turbine.”
Slate acknowledges that the construction costs would be raised but that it would be off set by energy savings.
The referendum must pass by a two-thirds majority to pass; it then must be approved by the administration.