The board will also vote on whether the administration can proceed with plans to construct a 6,000-seat Olympic sports venue that would be situated within the Gateway District. The arena, expected to cost $150 million, would house the varsity women’s volleyball, gymnastics and men’s wrestling programs, and be able to host concerts and other campus activities.

Plans for a future academic or healthcare building located in the district are also included in the board item, although MSU has yet to decide what purpose the building will serve.

The arena would be expected to be operational by late 2027, with the hotel and additional parking ready by mid-2028. Retail and office space, as well as market rate housing, would be operational in 2030. The unspecified academic or health care facility doesn’t have an expected completion date.

If the board approves the plan, MSU will need to "define a long-term strategy" for the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, according to the agenda item.

Student disorderly conduct, president’s performance evaluation policies altered

The board will vote to rescind a redundant policy that prohibits students from engaging in disorderly conduct at or in connection with a riot. Various university policies and state laws already prohibit students from obstructing free movement around campus, obstructing normal use of university buildings and facilities, and provide a more comprehensive definition of "riot" and "disorderly conduct," the agenda item stated.

The to-be-rescinded policy contains a provision that it "shall not be interpreted to restrict or limit" any student’s First Amendment rights to freedom of speech or assembly. 

That provision is not necessary to ensure that students’ First Amendment rights are protected, according to the agenda item, since federal law already protects students’ First Amendment rights.

The board will also vote on axing a single word from its recommended timeline for evaluating the university president’s performance, removing the recommendation for the board chair’s report on the evaluation to be shared in September. 

The September recommendation warrants removal because the board previously voted to replace its September meeting with a "stakeholder forum," the agenda item says. Doing so would allow for greater flexibility to accommodate other potential scheduling shifts, it claims.

IM West vote absent

A vote on the demolition of Intramural Recreational Sports West — the campus’ oldest gym — is absent from the upcoming meeting agenda. The board had been slated to vote on the plan at its Feb. 7 meeting before some trustees’ concerns punted the vote to a later meeting. It’s unclear when the board will vote on the proposal.

The board’s budget and finance committee recommends the demolition due to the building’s high refurbishment cost, functional obsolescence and inability to be repurposed for any other use.

"Windows are aged, inefficient, and most of the air handling units and fire protection systems are at the end of their useful life," the at-the-time agenda item stated. "Overall, the facility's high energy consumption and outdated infrastructure make it a poor investment."