Opinion

$75 should cover the tab

Uzochukwu Odili
guest columnist

Three dollars. It really doesnit seem like much when you put in perspective; we pay thousands of dollars in tuition and fees every semester here at our beloved University. Three dollars doesnit even put a dent in the average amount I pay for books. Nowadays, you canit even get a decent meal around campus for $3 -- unless you go to Wendyis, of course.

The fact of the matter is that three dollars doesnit really go far these days, and I never thought the day would come when I would be seriously miffed about a measly three dollars. Yet, here I am today -- seriously angry.

Three bucks isnit supposed to be a big deal, but when you already pay $75 just to be able to use a multimillion-dollar recreation facility, the thought of shelling out an additional three dollars to use some of the facilities is simply outrageous.

The brand-spanking-new, $54 million campus Recreation and Wellness Center on Calhoun Road officially opened to the public Monday, which was a relief to those of us who enjoy getting what we pay for. We pay a $75 service fee each semester that is supposed to cover all the expenses of running the facilities. But what if we had to pay an extra fee to use certain equipment, say to check out a basketball or to use the weight training equipment?

I canit speak for the entire student population, but I am pretty sure most would be quite upset. I can imagine their responses: "We paid all that money and now we canit even use all of the facilities." 

Well, I wish I werenit writing this column -- because then that scenario wouldnit be real. Unfortunately, it is. To my utter surprise, the recreation employees informed me that a $3 fee is required to use the new rock-climbing apparatus and necessary equipment.

Although a good reason may exist for the supplemental charge, no amount of reasoning could make me feel better about having to pay it. I just donit think it makes sense for us to pay such an exorbitant amount to use the Rec Center and not have all fees included.

Odili, a senior math and biology major, can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu.