Johnson Center is surveying students to see if they'd pay an extra $3 in student fees to keep the center open late.
James Todd, associate director of Recreational Services, said the center has been open an additional two hours on weekdays and weekends for almost a year and a half.
Todd said a proposal for extra finances isn't uncommon among student organizations and student-oriented facilities.
However, given the state of the economy, students have been asked to voice their opinion on the matter, he said.
"With the financial crisis the way it is and the University trying to save money, etc., the Student Fee Review Board wanted to know if the students would agree to approximately a $3 raise in their student fees," he said.
Todd said the increase in student fees will go to pay students who work at Johnson.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"So, we're not using any student money to pay for professional salaries, to buy equipment, to travel or anything like that," he said. "All the money that the students give us from the Student Fee Review Board goes right back into student salaries."
Todd said he'll see the survey results this week and then make a case to the SFRB in January.
Lissa Knudsen, GPSA council chairwoman and member of the SFRB, said the board will consider requests for student fee money and make its recommendations to President David Schmidly.
Schmidly will then take those recommendations to the regents, who make the final decision on which organizations will be given additional funding from student fees, she said.
"Once we have an opportunity to receive applications . with regards to next year's groups that are vying for money, then we review all those applications and . we make sure to have one SFRB member visit every single applicant's location," Knudsen said.
Leon Howard, law student and president of the Student Bar Association, said he would rather see student fees go toward expanding the services of Main Campus facilities to North Campus so that graduate students can take advantage of them.
"As any group that's self-interested, I think the law students would particularly like to see more things available on North Campus, but we're such a small group that, in the large picture, I think it's understandable that there's more focus on the Main Campus," Howard said.
Todd said Johnson Center might have to restructure its finances if the board decides to reject the proposal.
"If they don't accept it, then we'll have to make some decisions about whether we can stay open," he said. "We'll have to make adjustments in our spending to keep those hours."
Todd said student employees who work at Johnson Center will not be affected by any financial adjustments that might be made.
The center is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
