A majority of students say they do not support Saluki Way or the student fees that help fund it, according to a recent survey by the Daily Egyptian.

The newspaper polled 100 random students, finding 43 in favor of the project while 57 said they did not support the first phase of the project.

The first phase of Saluki Way includes a massive overhaul of campus, with the building of the new football stadium and the renovation of the SIU Arena being the primary focus, along with the building of student service buildings at McAndrew Stadium.

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Demetrous White, who served as a student member of the SIU Board of Trustees until his resignation last week, said he doesn’t believe student fees, which account for $41.5 million of the project’s $83 million price tag, should be used to fund Saluki Way.

‘A lot of students are struggling to stay here at SIU,’ said White, who served as president of Undergraduate Student Government last year. ‘To be told you have to pay extra money for a new stadium and arena that you may not even get the chance to enjoy, I don’t think that’s right.’

While 43 students said they did support Saluki Way, 26 of those students said they would rather see that money used to improve academic buildings.

Jermaine Pryor, a junior from Chicago studying elementary education, said he does not understand why such a large portion of the project is coming from student fees.

‘I have questions regarding why students seem to be assuming so much of the bulk of the financial responsibility,’ Pryor said. ‘I think they should get more student involvement and find out what other people’s opinions are.’

But athletic director Mario Moccia said the new stadium and improvements made to the SIU Arena are for all students, not just student athletes.

‘I think we have the largest percentage in student seating in both McAndrew Stadium and the SIU Arena,’ Moccia said. ‘I think the upgrades to those facilities will be much nicer for the students who are also fans.’

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Of the 43 students who said they support Saluki Way, 25 said they support student fees being used to fund the project.

Erika Jackson, a junior from Chicago studying kinesiology, said she thinks the new football stadium and renovation of the arena are necessary to attract student support.

‘I was watching the game the other day and it looked like it should have been on ESPN Classic,’ Jackson said. ‘We need some spunk, we need some swag. Everybody’s going to the strip to hang out and should be at the game.’

While student fees account for $41.5 million, the city of Carbondale implemented a tax that will account for $20 million

Administrators hope to collect the remaining $21.5 million from private donations. So far, they have received $6.2 million in donations.

Anthony Owegbey, a junior from Chicago studying political science, said he supports Saluki Way if it will help the community.

‘As long as it helps the students in some way, I think it should be all right,’ Owegbey said. ‘It’s pretty good as long as it helps the community and school in some type of way.’

Moccia said he thinks Saluki Way will help in a variety of ways, especially in recruiting and helping people from southern Illinois find jobs.

‘Our facilities are woefully behind our competition,’ Moccia said. ‘I certainly think the building of new facilities will put a lot of people to work in the region, which is definitely a positive thing in the economy.’

The new stadium and the renovation of the arena are expected to be finished by the 2010 athletic seasons.

Stile Smith can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268