Today, students will vote on whether or not to fund the Learning Commons with a new fee.

Central’s Learning Commons has not been adequately funded since it’s conception, according to Prairie Brown, director of the Learning Commons. The funding has always been pieced together from different sources throughout Central, rather than all or most funding coming from any single stable source.

“What we’re hoping for now is a sustainable source of funding so we don’t have to scramble year to year,” Brown said.

According to Bryan Elliot and Jacob Witman, president and executive vice-president of the Associated Students of Directors (BOD), part of the reason the BOD supports the initiative is as a more equitable approach to the funding.

“Currently, only 10-12 percent of the usage is going to developmental course students, but they’re footing the bill,” Witman said.

Between the Math and Writing Centers, the Learning Commons tuturs about 1,000 students per quarter, according to Brown.

On April 15, the Services and Activities Committee (S&A) denied funding the Learning Commons.

The Learning Commons gets funding from S&A to operate the West Side centers, and state funding to operate supplemental instruction programs, but most of their funding comes from different sources year to year, Brown said.

Currently, Brown said, that fund has been running out, and the Learning Commons will only be able to continue functioning for one more year before having to cut back on services.

Voting for the Learning Commons ends today.