By Curtis Creekmore
New students registered for the fall 2006 semester at the University of Louisville will be able to use intramural gym facilities in the summer for a $20 fee.
In past years, returning students could pay the $20 fee for access to the facilities, but the policy did not allow freshman, transfer and graduate students new to the university access to the gym.
At an SGA Senate meeting last month, Arts and Sciences Council President Aaron Price proposed use of the intramural gym facilities – which do not include the new natatorium – be free during the summer for any student enrolled for the fall semester of the following year, whether or not he or she is enrolled in summer courses. His proposal also suggested new freshmen going through orientation and incoming graduate students have free summer access to the gym facilities.
Dale Ramsay, U of L director of Intramural Sports, attended the SGA meeting where this issue was discussed. He said at the meeting his department would provide access to new students registered for fall semester class on a fee basis, but explained to senators and audience members at the meeting that allowing free access for any student not enrolled in summer courses would not be possible.
“[SGA] wanted … students who enrolled in spring but not in summer school who were coming back in the fall to be allowed to use the gym over the summer for free,” Ramsay said.
Ramsay said there were several flaws in the proposal to work through. “You could come in and show me your registration then turn around and go to a computer terminal and cancel your registration for the fall and I’d never know about it, so that was just ripe for abuse,” he said.
“Then the thing with incoming freshmen – I checked with the university. I guess one reason it had been like that before was because no one had ever asked about that,” Ramsay said. “And I looked into it and the university doesn’t have a problem from an insurance standpoint, so incoming freshmen can buy a pass … like everyone else.”
The major problem Ramsay had with the idea was the price. “You would be giving something to a group of people for free where other people, like the currently enrolled students, are paying for it,” Ramsay said of providing free summer gym access for returning students.
Ramsay explained to students at the SGA meeting that the $20 fee was very competitive, especially compared with membership fees at other local gyms. A summer membership at the local YMCA costs $31 a month, plus an additional $31 fee, and is only applicable for members meeting certain income restrictions. A membership with other commercial gyms for the summer could run around $250: a $30-50 monthly fee and a $100 registration fee.
Students around campus didn’t seem unhappy with the new policy. “I think it’s worth it,” said graduate student Gioconda Guerra. “I think that if you’re not registered and you want to use it, $20 is fair.”
According to Ramsay, the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University have similar policies. Western Kentucky University, he said, doesn’t offer gym access during the summer months.
“I think the $20 fee is more than reasonable for those who aren’t partaking in anything to do with the university over the summer,” said freshman Roger Dotsey. “The fact of the matter is it’s less than $5 a month and that’s basically an unbeatable price.”
“I think it’s good we get [students] down here, and we get them engaged and involved a little bit and if they want to do that, we don’t have a problem with that,” Ramsay said.
