TVs installed in an effort to stay competitive; student response largely positive
In order to stay competitive with other fitness centers and respond to student needs, the Rec Center has installed personal flat-screen TVs on 15 of the elliptical machines above the swimming pool.
Personal flat-screens were determined to be an interest to students through open forums held in the Rec Center building, comment suggestion forms and other types of satisfaction surveys compiled by CU.
“The project, in total, cost about $20,000 and was a part of the capital request for the center’s 2006/2007 fiscal year budget,” Carrie Levi, UCSU Recreation Board chairwoman, wrote in an e-mail.
Students were found to have an interest in a more informal workout, where they could plug in their headphones to watch different channels rather than having to tune in to one of three channels, said Gary Chadwick, director of Recreation Services.
Thus far, student feedback has been positive towards the personal TV installations, though personal TVs for elliptical machines near the rock wall will not be installed any time soon and the three plasma screens will return.
“It was a good purchase. Time goes by faster and it’s nice to have something that is a distraction. It was kind of weird watching people swim through the windows,” said Sonia Saraiya, a sophomore psychology major.
Chandler Reed, a sophomore open-option, said, “The TVs were a really awesome idea. I probably work out (using the elliptical machines) for 20 minutes longer than I did before.”
The elliptical machines are infamous for filling up fast, especially now.
“This is just an ongoing process to keep ourselves competitive, making sure we are offering what is up to date, and to keep membership up,” Chadwick said.
24 Hour Fitness on Baseline Road, one of the Rec Center’s competitors, has yet to install personal TVs to their cardiovascular machines.
“It is really important to us to provide an on-campus service that students want to use,” Levi wrote in an e-mail.
The board backing decisions regarding ongoing improvements to the Rec Center is the Recreation Center Board, made up of students who meet every week with staff members to discuss the types of equipment needing to be updated or purchased as well as the different programs and classes the board would like to see implemented.
As of now, the board is in the middle of compiling the Recreation Center’s budget, or capital request list, for the future.
“We plan to do some repair on the Zamboni, to renew and replace cardio-fitness machines with the newest model, to take care of the floor tile downstairs in the corridor area, to replace the ice rink compressor and the primary and secondary heat pump, to purchase professional Pilates Reformers and to update the strength equipment in the strength room,” Chadwick said.
The capital request list is prioritized and voted on by the Recreation Board with the input of the staff.
Ultimately, students finalize the list, “but we like having staff input at the beginning because they know our cost center well,” Levi wrote in an e-mail.
Improvements will continue to be made to the Recreation Center according to input from the Recreation Board, staff and students.
“We take this feedback seriously and use it as a gauge of how well we are doing and serving our customers since Rec Center costs are covered by student fees,” Levi said.
