Last year, the Corporation announced that it had approved a new, mandatory $64 "recreational facilities" fee to be paid by every undergraduate student. As President Ruth Simmons wrote in an e-mail to students, the fee would "reduce the amount we will need to cut from the Athletics or other budgets."
As its name implies, the fee can also be applied to improving the gyms that most students use. Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn confirmed this impression when she told The Herald in February that the money will be shared between the Department of Athletics and the upkeep of University gyms.
For the many students who are not on sports teams but do exercise at Brown gyms, this separate aspect of the fee makes it seem worthwhile and highlights the expenses of maintaining the several gyms on campus.
This is one of the reasons we have been disappointed with the status of the gyms. We had heard anecdotally that machines are frequently out of order, among various other problems that could easily be fixed.
The editorial page board visited all four student gyms on campus and found a disappointing level of disrepair. In total, five of the machines were broken, including ellipticals, treadmills and a stationary bicycle. Nearly all of the dozen televisions were not working. Some of the lights worked intermittently or not at all, and some of the weights were missing.
None of this has a seriously negative impact on the gyms' overall usefulness. For example, there are usually enough working machines for all present, though many students undoubtedly wish the televisions worked. Brown provides a form to report malfunctioning gym equipment. But unlike a simple facilities request that can be submitted online, it's a paper sheet that needs to be returned in person to the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center — quite a hike from the Bears Lair in the Graduate Center or Bigelow Gym in Keeney Quadrangle.
This is why we were glad to hear that the Undergraduate Council of Students would begin to examine the condition of the gyms and recreational facilities. In its annual agenda, UCS committed itself to inspecting the gyms and recommending upgrades to the University.
While we applaud UCS for this commonsense step, we hope it will concentrate first and foremost on ensuring that the gyms and their current equipment are adequately maintained. Given the new fee dedicated partially to that purpose, we think it is the least students should expect.
Like all students, we eagerly await the opening of the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center and the Jonathan Nelson '77 Fitness Center. The combined facilities will improve campus life and fill a conspicuous void on campus. Unfortunately, the facilities will not open until 2012.
Until then, the University should make sure the existing facilities are in good condition. Particularly for those students who live on the south side of campus, the condition of the satellite gyms is important. Since all students now contribute through tuition to the upkeep of these facilities, we hope to see our money put to good use.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials (at) browndailyherald.com.
