Student Government wants feedback from students on a proposal for a new Marshall Center plaza enhancement.

On July 24, Sasaki and Gould Evans, architects for the new Marshall Center, pitched a new layout for an improved exterior area. Marshall Center Administration said Senate members would have to agree to fund the improvement because it would require a larger budget.

Since then, a Senate committee has been working to determine whether the plaza upgrade will be in USF’s reach.

SG will conduct an online survey through its sponsored newsletter Note-A-Bull on Sept. 17 and 24, to gauge student reaction to the proposed addition.

SG is also discussing how to distribute the survey more effectively.

Ideas discussed at the committee meeting included creating a Facebook group, posting the survey on Blackboard and contacting the heads of student organizations.

Frank Malatesta, chair of the MC Plaza committee, said the survey will consist of five questions.

The results should single out the aspects of the proposal most important to students, he said.

One aspect of the proposal is the “Herd of Bulls” fountain, a 900-square-foot pool with three bull statues in the center. The bulls will appear to charge through a cascade of water.

If students don’t think the fountain is important, he said, the committee might consider making it smaller.

“We want to be financially responsible,” said Malatesta, regarding decisions to make cutbacks on the proposal.

The current plan for the future plaza will cost between $50,000 and $60,000. If the Senate approves the proposed improvement, the cost could range from $800,000 to $1 million.

Funding for the proposal will come from unallocated funds within the SG budget.

To view design photos and a virtual simulation of the proposed MC plaza, visit ctr.usf.edu/renovation/plaza.html.

Marinella Mazzicato can be reached at (813) 974-6299 or oraclemozzicato@gmail.com