Students support Houston stadium fee

Published Feb. 2, 2012 4:44 p.m. ET

foxsports

A majority of students at the University of Houston voted in support of a service fee to help pay for a new football stadium and renovations to dilapidated Hofheinz Pavilion.

A referendum proposing a $45-per-semester fee passed on Thursday morning after a two-day vote by 9,923 students. A total of 7,334 students voted in favor of the fee (73.9 percent) and 2,589 voted against it (26 percent).

Athletics director Mack Rhoades called the vote a ''statement moment'' for the school. University regents must now approve the proposal when it meets on Feb. 15. The fee could take effect when the fall semester begins.

The entire project is expected to cost about $160 million, with about $60 million raised to this point.