Do you support the Rec services renovations?

bmuff · 02-26-2008, 02:20 PM

Population in-state is declining. Competition for students is fierce. Two ways to recruit prospective students to ISU are recreational facilities and student housing. If ISU lets their rec facilities get too far behind, they start losing students to other schools. ISU's enrollment is already down a couple of thousand from where it was 10 or so years ago. Assuming ISU wants to keep top notch faculty and staff, where do you think that money is going to come from if enrollment continues to drop? INCREASED TUITION. So even though Sodakjoe doesn't want to force future students to pay, if ISU doesn't "keep up with the Jones's" they are going to have to pay anyway.

puckwarrior · 02-26-2008, 02:26 PM

Unfortunately, when I was on the GSB in the early 80's, the students voted by a 2 to 1 margin to put a large addition on Beyer. I met with Max Urich than to see if the athletic department would be involved in funding the addition to increase the project. Max said that there was no way the athletic department would be putting their money into a facility for students as they were going to build a new building for their own. Because the athletic department wouldn't support it the Regents wouldn't let the University build it. Many years later they were unable to come up with enough money to build their own facility and forced the students into the Lied. By that time the students didn't want it, but the regents passed it anyway to help the athletic department. It was definitely needed than and I'm sure that Beyer and State Gym are in even worse shape today than the 25 years since I was there. Bottom line is, if the athletic department doesn't support it, it will be tough to get the regents to do it.

Rogue52 · 02-26-2008, 05:04 PM

Opposed. I'm not going to vote in favor of something students 25 years after I leave are going to have to pay $200/semester for. Now, find some private funding, drop that number down to $50/semester and I'll think about it.

College students are strained financially enough and the facilities are pretty worthless to off-campus students.

Rogue52 · 02-26-2008, 05:14 PM

To everyone going on and on about current students needing to realize that future students want these renovations:

There are alot of things that future students want: more parking, better dining facilities, more CyRide routes, etc., etc., etc. How do I know which one they want the most???

Under that argument, every measure that requires a $200/semester increase in fees should get a rubber stamp.

jaretac · 02-26-2008, 06:35 PM

State Gym sorely needs to be renovated, but I think the State Gym addition is ridiculous. If Beyer needs to be renovated, someone forgot about Physics, Armory, Davidson, etc.

I remember seeing a article a couple of years ago that said Iowa State had one of the best Rec facilities in the country, so to say we have to do this to keep up with other schools doesn't hold. It's not a bad idea, but who is going to pay and what program won't receive funding because it's all going to Rec. Why don't we use that money to help keep tuition down- that might bring in more students.

Also, someone said ISU only has one pool, ISU has 3 pools (Beyer, State Gym, Folker and the Folker pool is almost always empty).

heshwar · 02-26-2008, 07:07 PM

Just for some comparison here are some links to the other rec services sites. According to their websites they are all "one of the largest rec facilities' in the United States.

MIZZOUREC.COM

Rec expansion
proposed expansion

http://www.recreation.ku.edu/

Facilities | Recreation Center

Rec Sports Facilities

Campus Recreation

http://www.baylor.edu/campusrec/index.php?id=18123

UT RecSports - Facilities - Locations - Maps of All Locations

Huston Huffman / Recreation Center - Home

(Texas Tech Recreational Sports)

Facilities : Rec Services

Oklahoma State University - Campus Recreation Center

Wesley · 02-26-2008, 07:13 PM

To make this country better, you keep building. It keeps the construction industry going.

Omaha looks like their downton $140M stadium will replace Roosenblatt also.

gharris · 02-26-2008, 07:16 PM

FYI Forker pool isn't open to students because rec services doesnt have control of it.

JDB41 · 02-26-2008, 07:24 PM

Anyone who doesn't support this obviously doesn't work out. Like many have stated there might as well not be a pool now because it isn't really available to the average student. And lied rec is so packed now its crazy trying to find a bench most nights. I really think this needs to be done I gurantee more people will work out if a nice rec is built by friley. Motivation is the single biggest reason people don't work out and if I really am not suprised people don't make the trip from friley to lied. With this new facility I really believe you will see a spike in people working out. I thinks thats all I have to say!

Sousaclone · 02-27-2008, 01:26 AM

Out of curiosity I see several people tossing around the $200/student for 25 year number. Is that remotely accurate, or is that just a number that someone randomly made up? If that's the case someone really needs to check there math or find the University a better interest rate. That's $100 Million assuming that the fee only gets assessed to 20k students. If it gets assessed to 25k that number jumps to $125 Million.

sodakjoe · 02-27-2008, 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by Sousaclone

Out of curiosity I see several people tossing around the $200/student for 25 year number. Is that remotely accurate, or is that just a number that someone randomly made up? If that's the case someone really needs to check there math or find the University a better interest rate. That's $100 Million assuming that the fee only gets assessed to 20k students. If it gets assessed to 25k that number jumps to $125 Million.

It's actually an EXTRA $100/student, bringing it to a total of $300/student/semester. I originally threw that number out because I wasn't sure of the exact number, and I didn't want to overshoot.

From the e-mail sent to students:

Student Fees for the Extreme Makeover: Recreation Renovation Project:
Student fees will be needed to fund the Extreme Makeover: Recreation Renovation project. Fees would be assessed in a phased progression. Once the renovation/construction begins after the spring 2009 semester, student fees for this phase of the project would be $20 per semester for the first two (2) years. The Lied Recreation Center will be air conditioned in the summer of 2009, which is the first year of the project. In year three of the project, when the renovations and new addition will be open for student use, student fees for the project would increase to the full amount of $107 per semester and continue for the remainder of the 25 year bond period. The anticipated completion
date for the entire project is 2011.

The fee charged to students this semester (at least for me, a senior in engineering), was $194.66

Dormeezy · 02-27-2008, 02:07 AM

I enjoy making use of rec facilities and I think it would be great to have the new proposed upgrades and new facilities. However, I am against footing the entire bill on the students. Granted it doesn't really effect me as I will be graduated before the new fees set in and well before construction is complete, but it's the principle of it. tuition is hard enough to pay as it is, and is steadily rising. greater education needs to stay (become?) affordable, and extra fees aren't helping the cause.

mclatch · 02-27-2008, 02:11 AM

I'm all for it! It's a great idea and unfortunately it does have to be paid for by someone. I think you'll find that overall, the cost to benefit ratio would outweigh any other supplementary/extracurricular office on campus. A far greater percentage of students use and value the rec facilities and offices than do say... the Sloss House, LGBTSS offices, or Learning Communities. Yet - students pay for those as well. So if you have a gripe against the proposed fee for recreation services you may also want to turn your attention to tutition. There is a greater opportunity for savings there. Consider what the "fee" is for services you don't use, never intend to use, and don't value.

My only question is - will staff be allowed to use the new facilities? ;)

superfan · 02-27-2008, 02:34 AM

I find it humorous that I voted for this renovation for the exact same reason many have said they voted against it...charging future students more money. I guess I'm still a little spiteful over the whole "differential tuition" thing, since I got the honor of being part of the class that got the first full charge but none of the benefits of the program. (Well, I did get to see some changes...I got to see all the computer labs in Howe opened up to everybody, so now if I want to work on a project in the middle of the day I can hunt through a bunch of people browsing Facebook or (today) WoW forums)

I guess I fail to see what the big deal is. Even if I had to foot the bill, a 1.1% tuition increase to the $9000 (plus room and board) I get to pay just to attend ISU isn't something I'd get upset about.

wonkadog · 02-27-2008, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by Rogue52

...the facilities are pretty worthless to off-campus students.

I'm wagering that at least 1/2 (to be on the safe side) of "off-campus" students would beg to differ. There are plenty of students who stay on campus to work out after or before their classes. Especially with the 2 "high-rise" apartment buildings that have been built directly south of campus, it would give the "off-campus" students easier access to a rec facility (on the west side of campus rather than east side). I think they would love having a place like that within walking distance.