The Western Washington University Board of Trustees approved a student fee increase to build an expansion of the Ethnic Student Center. The fee will be no more than $30 per quarter and start no earlier that fall 2017.

The expansion will make the Ethnic Student Center more than five times bigger, and provide more visible and accessible space for multicultural education and services. The fee is applicable to students taking six or more credits, and will raise $10-12 million, plus an annual amount for maintenance. The university is looking for $5-6 million more in funding, for a total of $15-18 million.