We would like to thank every single student who took the time to vote and contributed to this truly outstanding turnout. Let’s bring the same energy to the Spring ballot where we will have the opportunity to elect next year’s GSU representatives and Real Food Challenge officers!

2015 Winter Student Ballot Results

Olympia Campus

Total Participation: 1594 out of 3781 Eligible

CRC Fee Vote
No: 1086
Yes: 485
Abstention: 23

WashPIRG Fee Vote
No: 461
Yes: 1060
Abstention: 73

GSU Fee Advisory Vote
No: 428
Yes: 1038
Abstention: 128

GSU Constitutional Amendment Vote
No: 206
Yes: 1190
Abstention: 198

Non-Olympia Campus (Tacoma, Reservation Based, Gray’s Harbor)

Total Participation: 98 out of 315 Eligible

WashPIRG Fee Vote
No: 20
Yes: 78
Abstention: 0

GSU Fee Advisory Vote
No: 21
Yes: 76
Abstention: 1

GSU Constitutional Amendment Vote
No: 12
Yes: 83
Abstention: 3

Ballot Items for Reference:

WashPIRG Fee Vote:

“WashPIRG (Washington Student Public Interest Research Group) is a statewide, non-partisan non-profit organization, which does research, education, service, and action on environmental, consumer, higher education, and hunger relief issues. WashPIRG chapters across the state pool resources and hire a staff of professionals to work with students on issues that concern us as citizens. WashPIRG is overseen by a student Board of Directors.

Do you support the continuation of a WashPIRG chapter at The Evergreen State College through a $8 per student, per term waive-able fee? Any student choosing not to support WashPIRG may waive the fee.”

CRC Fee Vote:

“Evergreen’s recreation center is an aging and outdated facility that fails to meet current and prospective student needs and interests. The new Health, Wellness, and Recreation Center will include:

· Co-located health and counseling services with the recreation center.
· Expanded space for health and counseling services from 7000 square feet in Seminar I to 9000 square feet integrated with the renovated recreation center.
· Gender-inclusive locker rooms and restrooms.
· Energy-efficient infrastructure with natural ventilation, sustainable equipment and practices, and increased daylight
· Completely renovated structure between the gym and pool that provides spaces that are physically and emotionally safer and more affirming for all students.
· Flexible programming options, such as the covered recreation area next to the building (“play shed”) and the fully day-lighted workout terrace, climbing wall, and multipurpose rooms.
· Improved navigation of the facility inside and out – it will no longer be an obstacle to walk around, but will become a central connection with all of campus.
· Added access between Housing and the CAB – it will become a central connection between lower and upper parts of the campus.
· Informal and “hangout” spaces such as an updated game room.
· A wellness garden that connects the CAB to health and counseling.
· Significantly decreased maintenance costs.
· More information and images for the entire project are available atwww.gogeoducks.com/wellnessrecreation

The main structure is about 40 years old and has been slotted as a capital renovation project since at least 2001. However, the legislature has placed non-academic facility renovations as a very low priority and funding from the state is severely limited, thus the need for student participation in the project.

The CRC Modernization Steering Committee has been working with architects and consultants to determine student aspirations for improved programming and a renovated facility, with two surveys of the student body (Spring and Fall 2014) and multiple focus groups informing all aspects of the predesign. Student involvement and decision-making will continue to be a key feature of this project past this initial stage, as there will always be changes in the transition from predesign to design and build.
A Renovation Steering Committee will be established with more than half of the official positions designated for students. This Committee is charged with advising on the management of the project and ensuring that committees associated with the project have more than half of the official positions designated for students (e.g., for a 15-member committee, at least eight members will be students). The process for selecting students to serve on committees will follow the standard process of being appointed by GSU.

Student input will continue to drive decision-making throughout the design and construction stages over the next two to three years, and students’ voices have already played a deciding role with the various elements: For example, based on results from the Fall survey, students were clear that they did not want to fund a synthetic turf field or a saline pool with the fee increase, so those items were removed and will be considered outside of the scope of this project. Additionally, the decision to include the “play shed” and to collocate health and counseling with the new recreation facility was based on the Spring survey results and student focus groups.

The preliminary design concepts inform the proposal of a $10/credit hour fee for Olympia campus students, which for a typical 16-credit program would be $160 per quarter. The result will be an integrated facility combining health, counseling, and recreation services; programming, space, equipment, and infrastructure upgrades adaptable for future student needs; and attention to nearby outdoor spaces and building access. Fee collection will begin Fall 2015, with the planned funding model resulting in a 20-year-period of fee collection. And for those alumni who pay the student fee but do not have an opportunity to use the new facility, they will receive a transferable lifetime membership.

In addition, the College will seek state funding for further addressing upgrades to basic building systems and infrastructure, and private fundraising from donors and businesses will be pursued to support the sustainability of the new facility’s operations.

For your reference, the work informing the improvements, fee development, and preliminary design concepts may be found atwww.gogeoducks.com/wellnessrecreation.

Do you support the proposal of a $10 per credit hour student fee, which for a typical 16-credit program would be $160 per quarter, to fund the CRC renovation to create a modern Health, Wellness, and Recreation facility? _ Yes _ No”

GSU Fee ADVISORY Vote:

“The Gwideq Student Union (GSU), the student government of The Evergreen State College, currently operates on funding awarded by the S&A Board. The equivalent each student pays the GSU for its operation is (as of Winter Quarter 2015) approximately $2.90/quarter. Currently, the GSU is restricted by the S&A Board on what their current funding can be spent on.

Would you support the GSU establishing an independent, opt-out student fee for the GSU’s operations, managed by its Representatives? This vote is an advisory vote and no fees will be instituted as a result.”

GSU Constitutional Amendment Vote:

“Do you support the following amendment to the GSU Constitution on the number of Representatives in the Union?

Article V will be amended to read: 17 representative seats will be reserved for undergraduate students from the Olympia campus. Two representative seats are reserved for students from the Tacoma Program, one seat is reserved for students from the Grays Harbor program, and one seat is reserved for students from the Reservation-Based Campuses. The second seat of the Tacoma Program will be reserved for a Fall Election, modeled after the Fall Election held on the Olympia campus. All non-Olympia representatives, with the exception of Tacoma’s second representative, must be elected by Week Nine (9) of Spring Quarter. Two representative seats will be reserved for first year students, and two representative seats will be reserved for transfer students who wish to join in winter quarter. Elections for both will be held by referendum Week Eight (8) of Fall Quarter”.”