Recreation Expansion - Proposal
Example of Fee Usage Structure: The Rec-Expansion subcommittee is currently working on a memorandum of understanding with CWU Athletics and with the Department of PESHMS. The CWU Athletics MOU will articulate expectations of service from Recreation for the use of the facility by CWU Athletics and lay out a pre-approved schedule for each year for competitions, including team practice(s), etc. There will be a flat funding model of $80,000 per year for CWU Athletics. Further work with PESHMS academic programs in progress to review interest of the potential use of facilities for academic courses for AY19. The Rec-Expansion sub- committee is working on an external fee structure for any other entities to request to schedule the facility. As previously mentioned, there is some financial risk to the project funding model because the Recreation reserve now is less than $4 million, although record enrollment is anticipated to generate fee revenue to push the fund to $4 million by spring quarter. Although use fees will offset the depletion of the fund, they will not reimburse the fund, which will slowly have to be rebuilt over time. The risks associated with the Recreation Expansion include the pressure the funding model places on the Rec Center budget to absorb the operational budget of this facility at a cumulative net cost of $105,000 in the first five years. The total net present-value cost to the Rec Center to operate this facility over 30 years is estimated to be $1.5 million. The risks of not pursuing this project, however, may greater and pose a direct detrimental impact on student recruitment, retention and the well-being of our students. Campus recreation programs positively affect student health and wellness. Students are attending CWU to learn more about themselves, and to grow into intelligent, productive adults. Robust recreation opportunities support physical and intellectual health, as well as social engagement, which is another factor in student success. The current recreation facilities have not grown with the expansion of enrollment; the needs of students have increased, but facilities have not expanded proportionally. As a result, during AY16-17 student clubs had to relocate their competition events to Yakima due to the poor condition of the grass fields in snowy and generally wet conditions. The turf field will mitigate this issue. Recreation is turning away students interested in Intramural (IM) and Club Sports because there simply is not enough well lit, all-weather space. Recreation has access to Nicholson Pavilion field house for the hours of 10PM – 4AM for programming with club sports November through March. Grass fields are only usable four or five months of the year. The turf field and lights of the Recreation Expansion Project will provide 11 months of programming space for club sports, increasing student engagement in recreation programs and directly impacting recruitment and retention of students. Not upgrading recreation facilities, conversely, likely would negatively impact CWU’s ability to recruit and retain students. Students identify the availability of recreational facilities as a priority when choosing where to go to college and whether or not to stay, according to “The Benefits of Campus Recreation,” a 2014 national study by Scott A. Forrester. Sixty-eight percent of students said campus recreation facilities influenced their decision about which college/university to attend; 62 percent said that campus recreation programs influenced their decision. Recreation programs also support retention, according to the survey, in which 74 percent of students said campus recreation facilities influenced their decision to continue attending their chosen
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