FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 19, 2004

SFA regents select construction firm for residence hall

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – Stephen F. Austin State University students are closer to having more on-campus living options and a new fitness facility following action today by the SFA Board of Regents.

Regents hired Camden Builders Inc. of Houston to build a four-story, 316-bed residence hall and parking garage for an estimated $13.54 million. Preliminary drawings for the structure propose a mixture of three floor plans: one bedroom, one bath; two bedroom, one bath; and four bedroom, two bath. Ranging from 349 to 1,006 square feet, the spaces all would include separate living areas.

The residence hall, scheduled to be ready for students to move into in January 2006, will be located on the site of the current Units. The site is south of East College Street and east of the Human Sciences and University Health Services buildings.

Camden proposed a parking garage attached to the south of the new building, but regents approved locating a detached parking garage west of Raguet Street and to the east of the University Police Department, where a parking lot is currently located.

The board also authorized up to $150,000 for programming and design development for a new student recreation center after hearing a Student Government Association report. In a referendum Tuesday, students overwhelming approved a fee of up to $120 per semester to build the recreation facility. Of 1,501 students voting, 1,237, or 82.4 percent, approved the measure.

Roy Blake Jr., newly elected District 9 representative to the Texas House, told regents one of his first actions in January will be introducing legislation to approve collection of the fee to build the center.

Wayne Roberts, budget director for Gov. Rick Perry, met with regents to encourage adoption of the accountability measures for Texas higher education institutions.

An executive order issued by Perry on Jan. 22, 2004, stated the “board of regents for public institutions of higher education shall direct that each institution and system work with the Higher Education Coordinating Board to create a comprehensive system of accountability.”

An accountability system created by the coordinating board would base future funding on 53 measures, including enrollment of students in undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and professional programs; class size; percentage of first-time undergraduates from the top 10 percent of their high school class; space utilization rate of classrooms and labs; and the number of first-time, degree-seeking students who remain enrolled after one and two academic years.

“This is extremely important to the governor. He likes to explain to people that he was a first generation college student and that he believes his education was vital to his quality of life,” Roberts said. “But before Mr. Perry is willing to go to bat for necessary increased funding to meet the goals established by the coordinating board for enrollment, he wants to be sure there is some accountability system in place to ensure appropriate use of these funds.”

Robert said the public has a right to demand complete accountability for its investment in institutions of education.

“When students pay for housing, the rates have to provide for the upkeep of the dormitories. But when people see those amounts, they just look staggering,” he said. “Then the media publishes a report that a football coach is making $450,000 a year, and people mistakenly believe that the salary is being paid with taxpayer dollars. We just need to educate decision makers about the source and use of these funds.”.

Regents approved adoption of the accountability measures, as well as creation of a new position for an executive director to coordinate the university’s marketing efforts. Three regents, Joe Max Green, Valerie Ertz and Kenneth James, were appointed to serve on a marketing committee.

The regents will meet again on Jan. 27-28.