Gym Grievances: Students Weigh In on Weighty Woes

For many UC San Diego students, working out at one of the facilities on campus serves as a much needed escape from the long hours stuck in the classroom or the library. Yet, one of the main complaints from students is that the gym equipment is often worn out, broken, or in poor condition, as seen in one Reddit post. That complaint is accompanied by students’ growing frustration that the University is not holding up their end of their bargain when it comes to charging students $117 in recreation facility fees per quarter.

For second-year Cellular and Molecular Biology major Pranav Madabhushi, the gym often serves as a home away from home. As an Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) resident, he goes to the Recreation, Intramural, and Athletic Complex (RIMAC) six times a week.

“I would say that the facilities are decently maintained, but sometimes there is broken equipment or old equipment,“ he stated. He acknowledged that RIMAC is the closest gym to him and that he is paying money for it, but he feels the need to call out the school so that the school does not neglect its facilities.

“I am paying for broken/old equipment, and I should not have to do that when the school has funds to upgrade the gyms,” Madabhushi said.

Rich Mylin, UCSD’s Recreation Director, hears students’ complaints about the lack of transparency between the school and the student body regarding its recreation facility fees.

“We do invest money annually in new fitness equipment. Typically, we do about $50k per year and every fourth year we spend about $500k for new equipment. Equipment is changed out as needed depending on the type of equipment or the age of the specific piece,” Mylin said.

Second-year Seventh College Bioengineering major Annika O’Rourke would like more transparency with how the school spends her money.

“I would like to see my recreation fee used for more equipment and possibly more space at RIMAC. Fixing the out-of-order machines would be nice as well,“ O’Rourke stated. “The new equipment such as the hack squat machine was a nice addition in previous quarters.”

With RIMAC’s 186,000-square-foot facility serving a large share of the student population, Mylin acknowledged that a fair amount of funding and recreation fees goes to RIMAC, at the expense of the remaining facilities (Main Gym, Triton Fit Park, Spanos, and Canyonview). Regular maintenance of all of the recreational facilities’ gym equipment falls solely on a small group.

“We allocate one full-time person [Mark Potter] to maintain our equipment. We also hire a few students to help with this work. If the work is outside of our scope, we do hire vendors to help us get broken pieces up and running,” Mylin said.

First-year ERC Political Science major Sunjay Muralitharan noticed that some of RIMAC’s equipment is in need of improvement.

“There’s a few machines on the opposite side of RIMAC’s entrance that could use some work. Also I’ve seen a hook on tricep push-downs disengage and hit someone in the face a few moments after,“ Muralitharan said.

First-year ERC Political Science major Keya Gupta has a different opinion on the issue at hand, saying “I believe that RIMAC is very well maintained. Nothing is broken, and the layout makes it very easy to work out.“

Gupta believes that the school does not do a good job of advertising what resources are available for its students at the cost of its recreation fees. Currently, students pay a $95 RIMAC Recreation Facility Fee and a $22 Canyonview Recreation Facility Fee as part of their quarterly UCSD fees.

“If you were aware of the exercise classes UCSD provides, the equipment, and the gym itself, I think it [the recreation fee] is worth it. There needs to be more awareness about the activities and facilities that we have access to as UCSD students,” Gupta said.

As the campus continues to expand and the student population continues to increase, Mylin said that the school is trying to keep pace with the growth.

“We did make a large expenditure this fiscal year, 2022-2023. A lot of new equipment was loaded in December 2022. We also opened the Triton Fit Park to create more lifting space on campus,” Mylin said. “Our future goal is to create more fitness space on campus. That planning is ongoing.”

For incoming Associated Students President George Lo, one of his campaign pledges was to push for more recreational facilities with newer equipment, and he is looking to make this a reality in the upcoming school year.

“The Main Gym has been outdated and poorly maintained. Not only is the equipment old, but the amenities are also not accommodating the increasing numbers of students that practice physical health and mental wellness,” Lo said. “As the student body president of ASUCSD, I hope to keep students updated with the allocation of recreation fees and increase the transparency of their usage.”

Lo mentioned that UCSD is planning to pass a fee referendum to gather fees specifically dedicated to facility improvement projects.

“However, I am also mindful of the financial burden on students and am looking into more avenues for facility renovation that don’t entirely rely on student fees,” Lo said.

He plans to actively advocate for recreational spaces in the soon-to-open Eighth College and the Pepper Canyon West neighborhood, which are both currently under construction. Plans for Eighth College include The Wellness Corridor, a recreation space in the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood. The space will be comprised of basketball, volleyball, and badminton courts along with equipment scattered around the edge of the lawn.

“By collaborating with campus planners, architects, and administrators, we can make sure that these developments include recreational facilities that cater to students’ requirements and enhance the overall campus experience,” Lo said.

Hendrik Musolf is a Staff Writer for The Triton.