Despite tuition and fee increases set for the fall 2012 semester, students may still find a deal at the Recreation Center.
The center uses two student tuition fees to fund the numerous facilities, activities and services that trademark its name. Even though the combined recreation and campus recreation fee will cost students $143.14, an increase of almost three percent, the center plans to use various tactics such as external revenue, student employment and social media marketing to help keep the cost to students low.
Tuition increases passed at the Board of Trustees meeting May 10.
If broken down into monthly payments during the regular 9-month academic year, a student pays less than $16 each month for access to the Recreation Center, which is less than local gyms. Going elsewhere with the expectations of getting the same amount and quality of services would be expensive and probably unrealistic, said Jeff Goelz, assistant director of aquatics and base camp.
The student fee revenue for the Recreation Center was approximately $4 million in 2011, said John Massie, interim director of recreational sports and services.
Jaxon Evans, of Carbondale, watches his father?s girlfriend, Dulce Garcia, do squats Monday during a Zumba Tone class at the Recreation Center. Garcia graduated from SIU in May, but still comes to the Recreation Center though she now has to pay. She said Jaxon enjoys the swimming pool. As an alumna, Garcia would pay $110 but she pays for the secondary membership instead, which is $60.
Steve Matzker | Daily Egyptian
Shane Bennett, assistant director of intramural sports and sports clubs, said numbers students associate with their fees can seem very high, but considering what they have access to, the price is a great deal.
Most things at the Recreation Center are included in the student fee such as intramural sports leagues, group fitness classes, pool use, weight room use, boat dock rentals and court or field space, Bennett said.
Extra fees are rarely required for activities and are still at a low cost, Goelz said.
Mitch Belsley, graduate assistant for Base Camp, said fees are determined based on expenses such as transportation, food and site rentals.
Overall, the trips are still fun and safe even though the price is very affordable, Belsley said.
Sally Wright, associate director of recreational programs, said the budget doesn?t divvy a certain percentage to each department.
The fee is a money pot that all areas of Recreational Sports and Services shares, Bennett said. One year the pool may need more maintenance than the outdoor fields, so it?s a give and take operation, he said.
?A big portion of the fee goes to keeping the lights on,? Wright said.
She said offering all that the Recreation Center does is made possible by keeping the facilities functional, which includes the employment of 250 to 300 student workers.
Massie said approximately $700,000 was paid in student wages last year.
While students pay the fees that run the facilities, the center also gives back in student wages for contributing to the facilities? operation, Bennett said.
Massie said selling memberships to faculty and community members also generates about $1 million in revenue, even though there is a limit of 200 external memberships.
The externally generated revenue helps keep student fees low, Goelz said.
He said if it wasn?t for faculty and community memberships, sports clubs fees and facility rentals for events such as swim meets, the amount students pay would increase.
Student fee revenue is also directly related to student enrollment and participation, Bennett said.
As enrollment decreases, so does the money available to Recreational Sports and Services.
With enrollment showing decline during the past several years, according to data released by the Institutional Research and Studies department, finding ways to increase student interest may be an important step for the center.
Gary Tisdale, assistant director of marketing and publicity, said giving the center a social media presence has helped encourage participation. He said incorporating technology is important.
One implementation that was started this summer is a Quick Response code, which allows smart phones to scan and redirect to a website with up-to-date information, facility hours and announcements, said Stacy Calvert, marketing graduate assistant for the Recreation Center.
She said the center also monitors Facebook groups such as Class of 2015 and Class of 2016 to try and answer questions. She said they market with Facebook advertising in efforts to increase participation.
?It?s important to incorporate social media and technology because that?s what student?s are using,? Tisdale said.
Wright said increasing program participation is always the goal, but increasing customer satisfaction is a goal as well.
Massie said the reason the center limits external memberships and monitors social media sites is to get accurate and direct student input because they consider students first and foremost as their main customers.
The Recreation Center plays a part in the community that is SIUC, Bennett said.
?It?s a transition period for students between high school and their professional life,? he said. ?We try to offer the key essentials they want and need to be successful after they graduate.?
Senior at SIUC majoring in photojournalism and zoology.
Can be easily reached at [email?protected] or 618-536-3311 ext. 254.
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Copyright ? 2012 The Daily Egyptian. All rights reserved.
Source: http://dailyegyptian.com/2012/07/16/rec-center-employs-various-tactics-to-keep-cost-low/
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