COLUMN: It’s time to revisit rec center issue

It’s that time of the year when the cars begin to slowly pour back into Logan after a long and relaxing holiday. Hopefully you have all had ample time to recover from the onslaught of finals. The good news is that hopefully you will never have to take those same finals again. The better news is that Spring Break is just around the corner.

The New Year’s holiday is a wonderful time to evaluate the past 12 months and to set goals for the year to come. The past semester brought many new changes to the student body, and as an Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council member, I feel like we have been able to accomplish some wonderful objectives. In a nutshell, we have seen some fabulous tailgate parties, exciting movies, annual Christmas tree lightings, action-packed college weeks, insightful lectures and helpful service projects.

Student concerns are being addressed and the administration had listened (i.e. the new Tuition Payment Plan). The Graduate Student Senate is clearing new ground for future development. It has been incredible to witness the potential of your student body officers. I can assure you they are hard at work with your best interests in mind.

However, with elections just around the corner, a stigma exists that the current ASUSU officers have now fallen victim to the “lame duck” syndrome. With four months left in our terms, I can assure you there is still much work to be done and that we still have several lofty goals left to complete. This semester we will work to finish all we set out to accomplish.

One of these objectives is to resolve the issue of the old Student Recreation Center proposal. Two years ago a survey was conducted by the Student Fee Board to ascertain the recreational needs of the students. The survey results concluded that many students were unhappy with workout facilities and that they were willing to pay additional fees in order to improve that area of campus. The Student Fee Board determined there was enough interest to draft a proposal for a new facility. Once created, the students were asked to vote on the proposal during an ASUSU referendum.

This new proposal would satisfy many of the recreational concerns students identified. It was to contain a new cardiovascular area with new equipment such as stair climbers and treadmills. There was to be a new weight room and new basketball courts. There were even plans to build a climbing wall. In all, the facility was to be state-of-the-art, but it came with a price tag of about $12 million. Because the building would be comparable to the Taggart Student Center and would be used exclusively by students, there was no way to address this need with state dollars. In the referendum that was held, the students voted by a narrow margin to increase student fees each semester by $63 in order to build the SRC.

At the same time the students were busily drafting up plans for their beloved new “Rec Center,” tension was increasing within the community. Many recreational establishments viewed the student’s decision as direct competition with the private sector. Within a matter of weeks the decision attracted so much public concern that it became apparent not everyone was thrilled with the decision to build a new recreational facility.

Aside from this, there were some students who felt like the fee increase wasn’t justified. Others felt that only a minority of students would utilize this building and these same students were those who were willing to exercise at existing establishments in Logan. Other students argued the referendum had passed by such a narrow margin it could not be determined whether building a new facility was the best solution. There were persuasive arguments on both sides of the issue. In short, the decision to build the Student Recreation Center was tabled due to political unrest and student uncertainty.

I believe this brings us up to date. It’s apparent this issue hasn’t gone away, because I have received numerous e-mails from students. It’s always been a hot topic, but I feel the students are uneasy about doing nothing at all. After two years of being tabled, what is it you would like to see your student government do with this issue? Is there a need for increased recreational space on campus, or do we have enough within our existing facilities?

While we’re at it, what is your opinion of the current recreational facilities on campus? What suggestions do you have on how we can improve what we currently have? One thing I have noticed with these types of issues is that the minority is always the loudest. I would encourage any of you who have an opinion on this matter to make your voices heard. You can e-mail me directly at palmer@cc.usu.edu or call my office at 797-1723.

We’re excited to be working with you for the next semester. Please contact any member of the ASUSU Executive Council if there is something we can do to help your experience at USU. After all, that’s exactly what we are here to do. Good luck with your new (and old) classes.