The idea of a student wellness center has been in the works for years and Acting Dean of Students Kirsten Compary said it will soon be a reality. The center would result in a $9.75 fee increase per credit hour.
By the Numbers· The new wellness center will result in a $9.75 fee increase per credit hour.· Average cost to students based on a 12-credit hour schedule would be $234 per year. · The building will include two racquetball courts, a jogging track and a 7,500 square foot fitness area with 30 cardiovascular machines. |
Compary, co-chair of the Wellness Center Program Planning Committee, said if the proposed plan for a wellness center is approved by the Board of Regents in December, the planning committee will be able to transition from a planning phase to a design phase.
“This is going to be a phenomenal building,” Compary said. “It’s an exciting time for the campus. I’m truly excited about the project. The student voice has been at the center of this and the students’ needs will finally be met. It’s time. It’s past time.”
The Wellness Center Program Planning Committee met with the Student Government Association Thursday to present the details about the proposed project to be built north of the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. The projected opening date is January 2011.
Joel Nielsen, director of USD athletics and a co-chair of the committee, said if the Board of Regents approves the project, the fee increase will be implemented by the fall 2009 semester. For a full-time student taking the minimum of 12 credits a semester, this would mean a $234 fee increase per year.
Compary said USD lacks a sense of community without a student center and wellness center, but the university is poised to change the situation with new facilities. The wellness center will not only serve as a fitness facility, but also as a central social destination, she said.
“The dome is not sufficient,” Compary said. “This is going to be a facility open to students without closing for athlete hours and special events. The wellness center will not only open up the fitness availability on campus, but will be a destination for students to connect to each other while promoting the idea of wellness.”
The meeting was open to all USD students, but SGA members were the only students in attendance, along with the planning committee.
SGA senator senior Jeremy Lemcke said it is SGA’s responsibility to gather more student input before they can take action.
“I think the meeting went pretty well and it was very informative,” Lemcke said. “I wish more students would have been at the meeting, but since they weren’t, it is student government’s responsibility to gather more student input before we take formal action.”
SGA president junior Ryan Budmayr said the meeting was an opportunity for senators to learn the details of the project. It is likely the senators will take a position to support the wellness center plan, he said.
“What we’re going to do is get a resolution passed as soon as possible,” Budmayr said. “Then we’re going to make sure we do our part to inform as many students as we can. We’ll also explore a lot of other options as well to show the Board of Regents that there is a lot of student support for this project.”
*Quotes from Kirsten about student attendance at the meeting*
A survey was conducted by the committee last spring that includes feedback from 707 USD students. According to the survey, more than 67 percent of those students would support a per credit hour fee increase of $7.50 and up. Seventeen percent of students surveyed would support an increase from $10-$13.
Lemcke said the wellness center would increase available activities and the students’ overall health for a fair fee increase.
“For what students will be getting in terms of what is proposed, I think the fee increase is extremely fair.”
Nielsen discussed the features of the proposed wellness center at the meeting with SGA. The facility will include a climbing wall, two racquetball courts, a jogging track, and several fitness rooms. There will also be a 7500 square foot fitness area with 30 cardiovascular machines, which will include space for weight equipment and three rooms for group fitness, such as yoga and pilates, Nielsen said.
“There are many areas we feel will fulfill the students’ needs based on student feedback,” Nielsen said. “The Dome fitness facility is not conducive to group activities and so an emphasis was placed on providing group fitness environments in the wellness center.”
Compary said the survey conducted last spring played an important role in the decision-making process for the planning committee.
“The committee has done a great job with making student feedback the center of the project,” Compary said. “We’ve involved students from the start. We have been making decisions about what we put into the project, take out, and how much students are willing to pay for that, based on feedback.”
Nielsen said survey results showed that students felt fitness was a top priority and is important to their quality of life at USD.
“Fitness serves as a good stress reliever,” Nielsen said. “The student wellness center will serve as a unifier much like the new student center will. Students will be able to meet to hang out and work out. It will help the overall spirit and attitude of students, staff and faculty alike.”
