The majority of students who took part in the most important student vote in University history sided with the Undergraduate Student Government’s resolution, approving the Stroh Center much to the administration’s delight. USG’s resolution was approved by over a two to one margin – 2,630 students, or 69 percent of undergraduate student voters – during Friday’s online vote, showing students support the Stroh Center and the $60 student fee. Instead of finding funds elsewhere for the Stroh Center, students enrolled at the University in the fall of 2011 will be responsible to pay $23.1 million of the total $36 million cost. About 28 percent of eligible voters participated in the election, showing the administration and USG that students are active in campus issues. Ten percent of student participation was needed to validate the vote. ‘ The landslide victory to uphold USG’s resolution was helped by the’ efforts by the entities promoting the ‘Pro Stroh, Vote No Campaign’ by the administration, the BGSU Foundation and other student groups involved in getting as many students to vote ‘no’ to uphold USG’s resolution. ‘ ‘We’re extremely gratified that our students have demonstrated their support for the Stroh Center,’ said University President Carol Cartwright in a press release. ‘They clearly understand that this project is critical to the future of BGSU.’ ‘ While some students might have been critical of USG’s actions throughout the past six weeks, the referendum results mirrored USG’s decision when the student government took a vote on the support of the Stroh Center, including implementing the semester fee. USG senators passed the referendum by a 67 percent margin on February 23, very close to Friday’s student vote margin of 69 percent. ‘ To elected officials, it just proves USG did their job adamantly and are ethical in their decision making process, USG President John Waynick said. ‘I think if anything, it legitimizes the student government,’ Waynick said about the voting results. ‘I’m glad this referendum showed clearly that the senators represent the students accurately. I’m really proud of the senate and the work they have done.’ Waynick and USG are not the only ones happy about the results of the election. The Coalition for USG Reform’s primary goal after securing a referendum with 1,262 signatures on a petition was to make sure more than 10 percent of eligible voters cast their ballot Friday. But their objective was not just getting a referendum in place — the coalition also wanted to educate as many people on the vote as possible. Other than rallying and collecting signatures, the coalition held events to familiarize students and community members with details regarding the Stroh Center and the referendum. One major way was holding a town-hall meeting, inviting Waynick and other administrators to field questions. ‘I think we did an effective job of getting students showing their opinions publicly,’ Coalition member Jordan Rupert said. ‘We did a good job getting the referendum organized.’ The coalition will continue to exist after the referendum to make sure senators remain responsible and serve the students to the best of their abilities. This includes having up to seven potential members running for senatorial seats in USG for the 2009-2010 school year, making them almost a group within a group, continuing to be the watchdogs of USG. Waynick said he trusts USG with tough decisions 100 percent because they were elected to keep students’ interests in their minds at all times. ‘Student government is doing their job well, [the] senate did their job well and voted the way the referendum showed,’ he said. THE FULL RESULTS OF THE REFERENDUM: -4,368 total votes received, both valid and invalid -3,812 total valid votes received -28 percent of all eligible undergraduates voted -2,630 voted ‘no’ or in favor of USG’s resolution -1,182 voted ‘yes’ against USG’s resolution -556 invalid votes including votes submitted with incorrect identification numbers, duplicate entries, or not entering all the fields Source: BGSU Marketing and Communications Department