CUB remodeling

Lewis-Clark State College students will get to vote on whether to pay a $30 fee to remodel the College Union Building.

And if a majority of the students say no, the Lewiston school will probably ask the Idaho Board of Education to rescind its approval of the fee, said Lee A. Vickers, college president.

A special election will be held April 30, on the campus from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., said Brent Karlberg.

A petition calling for the special election to determine whether a majority of students wanted the CUB addition was turned in to student leaders April 8.

“We have to do it because the by-laws say do it,” said Karlberg, chairman of the judicial committee, which made the decision Monday to hold the special polling of students. “Our findings are that the petition is valid because the people’s names were on the petition when it was approved.”

Student Douglas Greene passed around the petition after reading a story in the Lewiston Tribune detailing the plans for the fee hike. In the story, student leaders said a majority of the students on campus favored the addition, based on a survey they took.

Greene did not agree.

The petition caused controversy among students, and at a legislative session and a senate meeting, leaders took polls to determine students’ desires on the CUB expansion. Both votes favored the $30 fee.

Last week, it appeared the petition would not be considered valid. Though the petition had been approved as valid with more than the 75 required signatures, some students tried to withdraw their names.

The judicial committee’s decision, in effect, is that once the petition is validated, students can only remove their names by making the request in writing.

“We decided there would be only two ways for a student to remove his name from a petition.,” Karlberg said. “Either by a written request or — this is a little more serious — if he dies.”

Friday, the board of education gave approval to the increase in student fees. But Vickers said he could go back to the board at its next meeting and ask it to rescind its approval should students vote no.

“Sure, that option is open,” he said. “My concern is that there is some personality problems playing a part in this, though.”

Greene said he will campaign against the CUB fee increase.

“You bet,” he said. “I’ve got my bullhorn and I think people are ready to find out who is right.”

Greene said Vickers’ support of the CUB fee after the board approved a $10 per semester increase in maintenance fees will help the campaign against to $30 per semester additional fee.

Vickers had said at the student legislative session he would not support both fee hikes. After the board meeting, however, he said the total fee hike was the same dollar amount students had voted to support.

“People are really upset about Vickers going back on his word,” said Greene. “I think they’ve tried to push this one too far.”

This story was published in the April 23, 1985, edition of the Lewiston Tribune.