Columbia, SC (WLTX)- The State Fiscal Accountability Authority approved a $32 million project to expand Coastal Carolina University's football stadium Tuesday.
The 3-2 vote comes after the Commission on Higher Education's chairman Tim Hofferth's strong recommendations against approving the project.
"This is an ancillary project, a football stadium expansion, primarily on the backs of the students," Hofferth said. "To me that causes great concern."
The commission was recently re-shaped to properly address their goals as it relates to state colleges and universities.
Hofferth said this was the first instance the commission had ever said "no" to a project.
"Before this group of commissioners was put together, in the history of the CHE, we cannot find an example of when there has ever been a 'no,' ever," Hofferth said. "Just doing a 14-month look-back, we rubber stamped $500 million worth of capital projects with no vetting."
Before the board voted, Gov. Nikki Haley urged against the project not only because of its expense, but also because of the precedent she said this would create.
"If you do this today, you have just given every university the ability to say 'CHE doesn't matter and that we'll just circumvent, we'll get our lobbyists to it, the legislature will approve it, and then it will happen'," Haley said.
Haley brought statistics to the table, like the cost in higher education from 1978 to 2012 increasing 1,120 percent and that South Carolina universities have the highest tuition in the South.
"You cant look at one part of state government and not look at all of state government," Haley said. "You can't find a family in the state that is not scared to death about how they're are going to pay for college tuition."
The board members who voted in favor were Senator Hugh Leatherman, Rep. Brian White, and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom.
"I don't think it sets any precedent at all," Eckstrom said. "Coastal Carolina University is very much a part of the economy down in the Horry county area, Myrtle beach."
Eckstrom said this was an equity issue, saying he has no worries about the project going forward.
"Coastal Carolina kind of fell into a bit of poor timing to be the first to come to CHE after this Commission on Higher Ed has developed their ground rules that I don't think is fair to them."
Haley said the weight of the vote to override the commission will impact the power of the commission's work in the future.
"We finally have che doing their job, if you override CHE today, then why have it?"