GRAPHIC: Image depicts silhouette of a person squatting and holding a dumbbell, while holding up a plate with money. An arrow going up and down is in the background. Graphic by The Signal Managing Editor of Content & Operations Troylon Griffin II. — Graphic by The Signal Managing Editor of Content & Operations Troylon Griffin II.

Campus Recreation & Wellness Center seeks fee increase

By Troylon Griffin II, Editor-in-Chief Last updated Apr 11, 2022 299 0

The Campus Recreation & Wellness Center (CRWC) is seeking to increase its student fee for the next two fiscal years. Brian Mills, director of the CRWC spoke at the March 1 Student Government (SG) meeting to propose a fee increase for students.

Students currently pay an annual fee of $110 for the center. The proposed fee increase will make the 2023 fee $121 and the 2024 fee $133.

Mills cited a number of reasons for the increase. Mills said when the center was created back in 2016, many things that must take place in order for it to operate at the level the industry expects were not taken into account.

“Our vision is engaged hawks soaring in health and happiness,” Mills said. “We want to continue to provide the safest, cleanest and most engaging facility and programs on campus for each and every UHCL student. We cannot fiscally or physically continue to make every effort possible to meet our vision in the manner we have done so in previous years.”

Mills made it clear that the fee increases will not be the end of the center’s financial issues.

“These fee increases are not going to solve the problem,” Mills said. “They’re still going to be Band-Aids but they at least get us out of a situation.”

When speaking on the center’s need for more staff, Mills said he worked 105.25 hours in the past seven days. Mills said he did it because he was doing two people’s jobs and work they don’t have positions for yet.

“I need more professional staff to be able to do my job and to be able to keep this place running,” Mills said.

The CRWC director said the fee increase will increase pay for students who work in the center.

“Our students make very little money and go through roughly 30 to 40 hours of training before they can work a shift and they’re doing that for an average $7.76 an hour,” Mills said. “Our student leaders, who are our operations managers, who have the responsibility of making sure our building is open and operating 93 hours a week make $8.33 an hour. We have got to get our wages to be more competitive against other positions on campus. And I’m not saying other positions pay too much. Our goal is to get $10 or more for all our student employees and that’s not going to happen any time soon but we have got to do something to be able to pay our students something a little bit closer to fair market value for their services.”

PHOTO: Image shows screenshot of power point slide proposing a fee increase for UHCL’s Campus Recreation & Wellness Center. The slide is titled “Proposed Fee Increase.” It list the current Fee Rate as $110 per semester. It lists the proposed FY23 amount as $121 per semester. It lists the FY24 amount as $133 per semester. It lists the “Intended Results” of the proposed fee increase at the following: increase Fall & Spring hours of operation, increase student employment opportunities, increase student employee wages, reduce break and holiday closures, new field opening November 2022, new department staffing and create capital reserves which is required by law. Photo courtesy of Brian Mills and the Student Government Association. — Screenshot of the slide Mills presented at the March 1 SGA meeting. The slide listed the intended results of the fee increase. These results include creating capital reserves, increasing student employee wages and increasing Spring and Fall hour operations. Photo courtesy of Brian Mills and the Student Government Association.

Mills said CRWC trainers make $10 an hour but could be making $20 an hour at other facilities.

Additionally, the fee increases would help the center begin setting aside capital reserves, something they are required by state law to do every year and have not done since the center opened.

“We have to start doing that,” Mills said. “We absolutely need to.”

Mills said they have been unable to set aside reserves because of a lack of money.

“Without additional funding support through this dedicated fee, our reliance on non-student memberships and rentals will continue to expand and will begin to directly impact the students’ ability to have access to the spaces,” Mills said. “Without this increased funding support, we will continue in a cycle of short-term/low-paid student staff, continued and increased leadership staff burnout, possibly begin to see a deterioration of the quality of our facilities and equipment, end efforts to improve outdoor field spaces and facilities beyond their current conditions, continue fees/charges for more programs, potentially increase fees for services, or just cutting events and programs altogether. Hours of operation could also be impacted as part of cost-cutting strategies but that would be the last thing we would want.”

Mark Denney, vice president of Administration & Finance, said the CRWC is an auxiliary building and such buildings are required to be self supporting. Therefore, Educational & General (E&G) funds cannot be used to support the center.

“We are prohibited from using those funds for non-E&G operations,” Denney said. “Auxiliary operations are things we can do but are not necessarily part of our mission. These include a Rec and Wellness Center, cafe, and other things. Those things are outside of E&G.”

Denney said the center’s current revenue covers its debts and costs.

“They’re actually operating well financially within the limits of services they provide,” Denney said. “The need for the increase comes for them to expand. They need money to replace equipment and need to start building a reserve.”

SG attendees voted on whether to approve the fee increase at the March 8 meeting.

“When Student Government hosted the budget presentation for Campus Recreation & Wellness, we gave students the opportunity to voice their opinion on the proposed fee increase,” said Brandon Woodcock, vice president of administration. “The majority of students supported the increase. We support the student voice, and look forward to continued student participation in the future on campus decisions.”

12 student organization representatives voted in favor, 6 voted against and 2 abstained.

Denney said this vote does not mean the fee increase will happen.

“It’s only a recommendation from [Student Government],” Denney said. “It goes to the Planning and Budget Committee. They heard it this month in March and they supported it as well.”

From there the proposal will go to the University Council and then to Interim President Richard Walker and he approves it whether the University Council supports it or not. Denney said Walker will have his decision in April and the Board of Regents will decide and have the final say about the fee increase May 19.

“Ultimately President Walker’s vote is just a recommendation, the Board of Regents has to approve it,” Denney said.

Denney said Walker pays attention, especially to the Student Government vote.

This fee increase was previously proposed two years ago and Student Government did not vote in favor, leading to former university president Ira K. Blake to not vote in favor. Fees and tuition proposals are brought up every two years.

“Presuming President Walker supports it, it will be presented to the Board of Regents at the May Board of Regents meeting,” Denney said. “If they approve it, then it is final.”