A substantial tuition increase for a new recreation and wellness center at SF State will appear on the upcoming spring election ballot.

The center requires a $160 increase in student fees per student each semester. Students are the deciding force on the issue but some members involved in the planning of the center appear anxious over the issue.

"I don't want to stop the recreation center from ever happening but we should reconsider before we approve this very expensive project," Tyler Cornfield, a member of the Student Center Governing Board said.

Cornfield compared the center to a "pipe dream" and said the project is happening too hastily. He felt low voter turnout could leave some students in a predicament.

"It's unfair to force a $160 fee upon students who won't have a desire for [the center]," he said.

Tuition for a full time undergraduate student increased almost $300 in the past three years. Tuition could exceed $2,000 per semester if the increase is approved, according to the Bursar's office.

"I hope students can see beyond the dollars," said Peter Koo, executive director of the Associate Students, Inc, the student government.

"You can get the value back from this facility," Koo said. "You can see it; you can feel it."

The center will include an indoor swimming pool, personal training center and boulder wall, which is similar to rock climbing.

The massive project may become SF State's newest attraction spanning over 100,000 square feet.

Students will have free access to the center. The goal is to have the center stay open 24 hours a day, but will likely start from 6 a.m. to midnight.

It will be located where the temporary library annex currently is. Though construction was scheduled to begin in 2011, the project could begin in 2012 or later due to the construction freeze caused by budget issues.

Currently the center is midway into the "feasibility study" portion of the project. This study involves the financial and design components of the project. So far there are three different models for the center. Each model varies in size and cost, according to Wendy Bloom, a campus planner at SF State.

On February 5, ASI and the student center governing board met to discuss financing the center. At the meeting, both parties decided to jointly take on the responsibility to build the center, with the board committed to floating an $80 million bond to cover the costs.

The bond works like a mortgage with a promise to pay back the bond in about 30 years through the increase of student fees.

Alex Mattingly, a kinesiology major, felt the project is unnecessary.

"People paying for this are never going to see it," Mattingly said. "We don't even have a library and they're going to build this thing."

Other students believe the current facilities for sports and recreation are underutilized and the new recreation center will better campus activities.

"I think students are discouraged to use [the current] facilities because they are so small," said Caesar Trejos, a BECA major and avid swimmer. "It's what a lot of people need."