Did you use your campus sport facilities as a student there?

[shootingstar]

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/University+British+Columbia+Sport+targeting+social+engineering/9085364/story.html There's a huge ruckus on how this university plans to fund/deal with varsity/competitive sports vs. rec. club sports for the students. I was amazed that every student must pay the obligatory $200.00 annually as part of their tuition fees, just for varsity-rec. sports funding. Not sure if it includes rights for every full time student to use the campus facilities. (ie. as a full time student you get to use the library facilities...which includes the expensive research databases that cost millions of dollars to support the licenses.)

It got me thinking: as a university student when I went to 2 different universities over 5 years...I never once made use of the gyms. I didn't even investigate any of the exercise programs to see if they were free or what their cost was. I was so focused on my academic studies ....and later socializing with some people.

It terms of fitness...the only thing I did was walk to and from where I lived and campus daily. I did that 80% of the time. lst university was a daily walk of 8 km. 2nd university was daily walk of 2.5 km. round trip. I also walked to go the grocery store to get food. I never lived in any of the dorms for pre-set cafeteria food.

That's all. But it was helpful...I walked off my study stress. I also went for long walks 3-4 times per year: each campus had some huge beautiful green park spaces. Lovely in fall and summer. And no, I didn't have a weight problem: I couldn't afford to buy pizza, pop.

Looking back, I would have now at least checked the gymn situation.

[Crankin]

Exercise was not part of my life in college, although walking across the ASU campus was an exercise in itself, in 110 F weather.
However, when I was getting my first masters, I was a relatively poor young single teacher, taking classes at night and during summer sessions. Near the end of my degree, I did sign up for what was a calisthenics/aerobics class, led by a grad student, at the gym. I had a locker for free in the gym, and I took class before school, in the mornings. This is what actually got me started on exercise. I really can't remember if I paid a fee for the class, or just signed up. This was in 1979, so while the facilities were OK, nothing like the fitness centers schools have now.
ETA: I did have to take 2 semesters of PE, both which were done in my freshman year, at 2 different schools; the first was at Lesley (where I started school and where I also got my masters in counseling), where everyone took a dance type of gym class (it was a girl's college, after all, in 1971). Then, I took modern dance at Miami-Dade CC.

[Eden]

PE was a requirement to graduate where I went to college... there were some fluff classes (you could talk billiards as a PE for example), but you could only take the same PE twice. I recall doing downhill skiing, x-country skiing, billiards, volley ball & yoga. My husband did some of the same and also did skeet shooting and fencing.

While we were there the college built a great big new fitness center (it actually was finished something crazy like 2 years ahead of schedule because of a mild fall and finishing the concrete foundation pour ahead of time).

addition - I went to a small private college - the only team I recall getting much ado was the hockey team .. and maybe women's lacrosse

[OakLeaf]

I sprained my knee in soccer try-outs my first year, and spent a lot of that year in the pool and the athletic trainers' office. (I didn't swim laps again for over 20 years, I was so sick of it!)

The next year they had done away with JV soccer and I didn't make the varsity team, so I played some intramural soccer and spent a lot of time in the weight room over the rest of my undergraduate years.

I took a semester (or two?) of fencing just as a lark.

I did a bit of recreational cycling and jogging then, but didn't really discover cycling as a sport until after college - and as far as becoming a runner, you've seen that happen here. :p When I was in law school, we were kind of an entity unto ourselves on the edge of a big university campus, and I don't think I set foot in that gym. I rode a lot in those days, both for recreation and transportation, but that was my only cardio and I wasn't doing any strength work then.

I think the funding question really depends on the school. If varsity sports bring in millions of dollars of TV money, then my opinion is that that money should go first toward athletic programs, both for the unprofitable varsity sports and for the recreational and intramural facilities. Sometimes with smaller schools, even though they don't have popular/successful Division I teams, the varsity sports support big alumni donations, and I feel pretty much the same way about that. But, if the athletic facilities aren't financially self-sustaining, then I totally agree that all students should have to pay for them, just as they pay for the buildings they don't have any classes in, or the professors in departments where they never take classes.

[tulip]

I used the gym all the time in college. I learned to use the weight room, took aerobics classes (it was the 80s, after all!), played club soccer, and swam in the pool. I also got to try sports that I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to try, like fencing and tai-chi. While I did ride my bike in college (I raced), most people did not even ride to class. I had one of the first mountain bikes on my campus and it was a novelty. $200 in fees sounds very reasonable; fitness is important and should be made available to young people.

Oh, and I did watch varsity sports: basketball (I missed Michael Jordan by one year but it was still awesome), soccer (Mia Hamm!), and even football (the team sucked but the games were fun).

[OakLeaf]

Another part of the equation is that if athletic facilities aren't part of required student fees, then financial aid won't cover them, and only wealthy students will be able to take advantage of them. That's pretty much the case in most high schools since the cuts of the 90's, which I find incredibly sad and wrong. But college isn't too late to establish healthy habits and learn body awareness, if a kid is able to be there at all.

But, "who uses them" is the wrong question, IMO. Did I take any physics courses in college? No. Do I agree that my lab fees should have been pooled with other students' to buy specialized instruments for the physics department? Emphatically yes.

[Owlie]

I went to a Div III nerd school. We did have a PE requirement (one semester's worth, I think, with most classes being half a semester). I took fencing,yoga, and some kind of cardio sport thing (which mostly consisted of running around a track). My first two years I was pretty active in our fencing club, but my second two years I dropped it because I was taking so many classes and evening labs. I bought the road bike my senior year, and started visiting the cardio room a little more regularly right before I graduated.

I didn't go near the athletic facilities at the school where I did my master's. I just never had time. The only thing I was really interested in was the pool, and it had limited hours if you weren't on the swim team. Those hours were in the evening, and guess when I had classes? And besides, why stay inside when I could go outside and ride my bike? ;) I'm not going near the gym here. Huge Div I school? No thanks. (It's also all the way on the other side of campus.)

I can't remember what the student activity fee was. It wasn't outrageous, though.

[skhill]

I too went to a DIII school. We had a PE requirement, but I did modern dance for mine. I did play some intervarsity stuff, broomball and softball. I was a fat nerd back in those days...

It doesn't really sound like that high a fee, for these days. Especially if it brings access to things like a pool and weight room and things like that.

[shootingstar]

I'm not sure if University of BC full time students have to pay additional use fees for certain facilities.
Very few university faculties at the major Canadian universities require any mandatory physical education. Except probably for kinesiology, etc. Mandatory courses are tied directly to your major. I actually have never seen an elective offering even for lst year.

Even lst year (for humanities, applied/hard sciences at University of B.C. University of Toronto, Western University, University of Waterloo...all major long standing, large universities with long history of academic research programs, etc. don't require it. Myself, siblings, friends went to these universities.. )

What is Division III schools mean in the U.S.?

I actually used to envy students who got to eat...junk..they had enough money. Those days, McDonald's wasn't as cheap as it is now.

[Owlie]

I'm not sure if University of BC full time students have to pay additional use fees for certain facilities.
Very few university faculties at the major Canadian universities require any mandatory physical education. Except probably for kinesiology, etc. Mandatory courses are tied directly to your major. I actually have never seen an elective offering even for lst year.

Even lst year (for humanities, applied/hard sciences at University of B.C. University of Toronto, Western University, University of Waterloo...all major long standing, large universities with long history of academic research programs, etc. don't require it. Myself, siblings, friends went to these universities.. )

What is Division III schools mean in the U.S.?

I actually used to envy students who got to eat...junk..they had enough money. Those days, McDonald's wasn't as cheap as it is now.


I think the recreation fee was paid by all students and went into a pot of money for athletic facilities, subsidizing club sports, and student government (which then parted it out to other student clubs). Don't remember.

The Division I, II and III designations are set by the collegiate athletic association. Basically, I like to think of division I as sports programs (mainly football and/or basketball) with schools attached to them, almost always large state universities. Div III schools are much less serious about athletics. No athletic scholarships. More laid-back. They tend to be smaller universities.

It's been very weird going from schools where nobody really cares ("There's a football game? Uh, we have a football team?!") to a school where people take it very seriously.

[shootingstar]

Thanks Owlie.
It appears there is some athletic scholarships /bursaries offered by some Canadian Universities: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/cis_news/2013-14/releases/20130620-cis For certain, one does not really hear of Canadian competing at the international level, associated/funded by a particular university. It's just different...culturally.

In Ontario, depending on the university and sport it could be up to $4,000 each year upon re-applying. I have this feeling some of the American universities might be more generous for certain sports.

University of Waterloo was carving its mark in computer science, math, engineering and trying to slay international ranks with MIT, etc. Sports was secondary. They were making inroads in co-op work-study programs in engineering, etc. which at the time, I think must have diluted feelings of fandom/sports cheering spirit when students are somewhere else working for 4 months, etc. I spent lst 2 yrs. before transferring out of town to another place. It seemed pretty slack sports-wise and that was reflected at the time in low fan turn-out.

Then at Western it was mini (but still craze) about its football team. It had a marching band and cheerleaders which didn't exist at Waterloo. I found it novel.... and it felt like high school, the enthusiasm. Latter university was older (but just as big).

Another era....back in early 1980's. :o

Fast forward, some of my siblings have paid membership/use of University of Toronto's facilities long after they graduated from there. It's familiar to them. Not the Y.

I wouldn't dream of using the local university's facilities here..too far away. But we've made use of their outdoor winter sports program for the general public. I do feel that an established university with some decent recreational sport programs does eventually filter abit into the local area around them. There's some coaching expertise and if there is a kinesiology and sports medicine program, that can draw in locals...provided the university understands how to deal with the local community.

[ny biker]

I was in the marching band in college, and we drank a lot. Between that, studying and working part-time I had no time for or interest in exercise. There was no PE requirement. I think I could have used one of the gyms for free but I really don't remember.

In grad school I took lots of long walks, and was content with that, even though winters where I lived (Evanston, IL, on Lake Michigan) are quite cold. I started taking long walks to unwind after work during the year between college and grad school.

I started working out regularly at a gym when I was in my late 20s and recovering from ankle surgery. If I lived in the city where I went to college, I would definitely look into any on-campus services that might be available to me as an alumna, especially the gym.

I have three nephews in college right now. One played football during his freshman year, one is in his second year on the baseball team, and the third does not play organized sports. I'm pretty sure all three make use of their school's gyms. The one who does not play sports gained some weight at first and has since gotten serious about trying to maintain a healthy weight.

[Catrin]

Sadly I don't remember that I even KNEW there were facilities I could use, and there may not have been. I wasn't interested in exercise...and looking back at how depressed I was as an older, non-traditional (VERY) student, I should have been.

[OakLeaf]

I would be VERY surprised if any college in the USA charges membership or per-use fees to full-time students.

I know none of the colleges near me does. (Two small independent four-year DIII liberal arts schools, two two-year schools, and two branch campuses of major universities.) They differ as to what, if any, facilities they make available to the public, and there's usually a charge for that. Alumni can usually keep their access either by joining the alumni association or by paying a membership fee.

[Crankin]

During my 3 years at Lesley, as a grad student, they expanded their fitness center, and made it very appealing to the undergrads. There was no extra charge to use it. I did not need to use the gym there, although I thought about it. My first year of school, I still belonged to the ritzy health club I had belonged to for 12 years, and after that, I decided to do all my stuff outside and I bought weights and a treadmill, as well as yoga and functional fitness CDs to use at home. I went to class at night and it just wasn't convenient for me to use the gym before class.
Lesley is a small liberal arts college that focuses on education and counseling/human services/the arts. When I went there as an undergrad (one semester) it was a teacher's college for women, although the grad school has always been co-ed. The undergrad college became co-ed about 10 years ago. They now have division 3 teams in several sports. There are free yoga classes and free bikes to ride.
I really didn't want to be in the gym with a bunch of 18 year olds... at a larger university, I might have considered it, as there would be a wider range of people using the facilities.

[shootingstar]

Well, Oak I'm probably overthinking this....at the local university, FTE students get use of facilities free. But they would have to pay for yoga classes, skiing lessons, etc. Ah, the folly of youth..not knowing what good was in front of their face for free.

Let's put it this way, the University of Toronto didn't open up the swimming pool at one of its downtown, main facilities for women until the early 1980's (or late 1970's). It is one of the oldest (and biggest) universities in Canada.

[OakLeaf]

Well, lesser facilities and opportunities for women is a whole 'nother conversation. Title IX didn't become law in the US until 1972, and the battles for equal access are still being fought. It hasn't even been 30 years yet since the first women's Olympic marathon.

[Koronin]

I went to a division I school (for football it was classed at division I-AA, I still get confused on the new classifications). I was required to take 3 quarters of gym classes, I took badmitton, gymnastics 1 and 2. Some of the gym classes did require an extra fee like the ice skating and bowling classes, the ones I took did not. I also played a year of intramural softball. I do not remember having to pay a fee for that. Otherwise I never used the phy ed facilities. (Unless you count going to football games, although that was typically as part of the broadcast crew. I worked the football games as part of the broadcast crew for 3 years).

[TrekDianna]

Student fees that they pay cover their use of the facilities on campus. I work on campus and I pay the fees too so I can use the facilities. It's around $200 for the academic year, but I can take 10 week cross fit classes 3 times a week for $50 with my paid membership and use regular facilities as part of my membership.

[rebeccaC]

The linked story reminds me of all the ‘concern’ over how Title IX would affect men’s athletics. I hope Cowin and Howard find a model that works well for all UBC students and their diverse fitness and well health needs.

I didn't have any required fitness classes but I had a campus rec fee which provided for club/intramural sports, a well equipped center with an indoor jog/run track, pool, climbing wall and gym for use by all students, free fitness/yoga etc. classes and free rock climbing/kayaking/backpacking etc trips among other things. For I think around $50 a semester I got my monies worth and much more.

As a side note being a grad school alumni the University gives me continuing free access to the EBSCO online research databases which helps in my research into continuing nutrition and exercise studies and also my work related research.

[Crankin]

This sounds like what they do at U Mass Amherst. My son "rented" camping equipment from the outdoor club/rec center for a nominal fee and spent Columbus Day weekend in 2003 celebrating his 21st birthday camping in NH, courtesy of the university.

[GLC1968]

I went to a Div III school as a traditional aged student and there was a PE requirement. I was waived because I played organized sports all 4 years (rugby). Even so, I did use the facilities regularly, as did all my friends. I ran in the 'cage', used the huge gym, I had friends who used the pool, etc. Of course, we were a small school in Maine without a lot of city facilities to distract us. We studied hard, we played sports hard, we partied hard. It was the lifestyle. Looking back, I'm amazed at what I put my body through back then...if I hadn't been so young, I don't think I would have survived it! We pretty much paid one lump-sum tuition that included EVERYTHING including a full time course load, room and board, activities and the like. We were all on the same meal plan, ate in the same building, etc. Small private school...

My second undergrad degree is from a Div I school (large state school) where PE was also required. I was waived out again because I already had an undergrad degree but my friends took things like bowling, golf or tennis for the PE credits. And yes, I used the facilities there too. Not as much as at my first school, but my husband and I played on the tennis courts multiple times per week! By then though, I was an adult with my own life and my own fitness schedule (including a gym membership) so the student facilities were less of a need/draw for me. I don't remember paying an activities fee but if I did, it wouldn't have bothered me at all. I was a full-time student, but I also worked full time and did not live in campus housing.

[spokewench]

B: When I first went to college, I played the recreational basketball in the evenings. I also took horseback riding lessons (off campus) for my first year of pe, but ended up helping teaching that since I had a lot of experience and most of the kids were just beginners.

I ran on the cross country team; then switched schools and played on the volleyball team and the basketball team, so yeah, I guess I used the facilities.