Andrew Huse, Senior Staff Photographer

Associated Students representatives are crossing their fingers today as the fate of Aztec Center is now out of their hands and in the hands of the student body.

If a majority of students vote “yes” on San Diego State’s WebPortal, A.S. will be given the green light to go ahead with the project scheduled for completion in 2010.

While exact plans for the new student center have not yet been solidified, A.S. has promised it will include more restaurants, a larger movie theater and bar, a computer lounge and a satellite Aztec Recreation Center. To fund the construction, design and upkeep of the center, students will have to pay an $11 per-semester fee increase starting this fall and a $45 per-semester increase effective Spring 2010.

Proponents of the referendum point out that Aztec Center was built to accommodate a student population half the size of SDSU’s current enrollment, and that the Campus Master Plan could add to the problem. The plan, which is currently tied up in court, is designed to increase full-time student capacity from 25,000 to 35,000 by 2025.

A.S. President Chris Manigault said he hopes for a high voter turnout, which would be indicative of students being proactive about the future of their university.

“We are obviously urging students to vote yes in the election, but if voting yes is not the option (they want), then just voting is what’s important,” Manigault said. “It’s really important to contribute and protect your university in any way possible and be active in your campus.”

Plans about what a new student center would look like or even where it would be located are uncertain, as A.S. was reluctant to spend more money researching the center in case the referendum does not pass.

Manigault said if the measure passes, a committee of students would immediately be formed to find out what they want in a new student union.

“Being that they are paying money, it’s important for (students) to know where the money is going to and if it’s contributing to the educational process or to campus life,” Manigault said.

A.S. Executive Director Dan Cornthwaite said he felt confident the referendum would pass because of the number of endorsements from student organizations.

The vote comes in the wake of a near unanimous approval by A.S. with the sole dissenting voice coming from Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztl