BOWLING GREEN - A petition drive at Bowling Green State University to overturn a student government vote supporting a student fee to pay for a new arena received nearly double the required signatures.

The BGSU Students for a Stroh Center Referendum group has turned in the petition with 1,262 student signatures, more than the 685 required by a showing of 5 percent of the student body, said Richard Ehrbar III, a junior involved with the group.

"We are absolutely dead-set on our stance: We are not for or against the Stroh Center," he said. "We are protesting the process."

Public universities in Ohio must gain approval from the Ohio Board of Regents to raise student fees and part of getting that approval is a show of student support.

BGSU has historically used a vote by the student government to show that support. The BGSU Undergraduate Student Government voted 14-5 in favor of it Feb. 23.

But some students said the night of that vote - and since that time - the student government did not adequately represent them.

The petition, which was delivered to the student government and still needs to have all signatures verified, asks for a referendum to overturn the vote. The referendum should be held within 15 days of receiving the petition and it will likely be an online vote over the course of a 24-hour period.

The students specifically will be asked to vote whether the student government's resolution of support for the $60-per-semester fees for the Stroh Center should be overturned. To repeal the student government action, 10 percent of students need to vote and a simply majority of yes votes would nullify the previous resolution.

It's a little unclear what would happen if that occurs.

Presumably, the issue would go back to the student government, but it likely would be under new student representatives.

John Waynick, president of the BGSU Undergraduate Student Government, said he stands by his opinion that student government is elected to represent students and he believes that occurred with the past vote. But he said he's fine with students going through the process for a referendum.

"We will be in full force informing students from now until the day of the referendum," he said.

If students vote not to overrule the student government resolution, the existing resolution would remain the show of student support needed for the planned $36 million Stroh Center.

The $60-per-semester fee would begin in 2011, when the building is to be completed. Construction is to begin this fall.

The Stroh Center would replace Anderson Arena as the place for Falcon basketball and volleyball games, as well as special events.

Contact Meghan Gilbert at:

mgilbert@theblade.com

or 419-724-6134.

First Published March 19, 2009, 11:25 a.m.