Opinion
 

CRWC needs to get its policies into shape

By Sarah Ohmer

At the end of the spring semester, summer seemed promising at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Students not registered for summer sessions would still have the opportunity to enjoy the facilities for an affordable $75, and free gym classes would be scheduled with regular or improved hours. Even the Power Yoga I class changed from twice to four times a week.

For Travis Fagala, a psychology junior with a new passion for the Eastern workout, this was a perfect opportunity to focus the shape of his mind and body without the stress of his regular-semester classes.

Then the CRWC's lack of administrative organization changed things. The young man at the entrance would not let Fagala in even though he had paid his summer fee bill.

Many students have been denied access without warning or been forced to bring a paper proof-of-payment to earn access to the CRWC, despite the prevalence of expensive computers. They can't count on supervisors' attention, either -- the directors of the Recreation and Wellness Center's membership services, Kathleen Anvizano and Vicky Avala, have left their offices and are not reachable, as they are enjoying their summer vacations.

The rec center sent no notice to students about billing changes for the summer. Faithful users had to deal with mixed messages from the CRWC staff on their own.

"I paid $75 for Summer I, so they refunded me $37.50 without notifying me, and I'll have to pay another $37.50 for Summer IV membership, even though I already paid for my fees for Summer IV. I'll have to write a separate check," said Stacey Tester, a consumer science and merchandising senior. "They're just really disorganized, and it seems like there's no communication between departments at all. I don't think anyone would mind if they had a policy and stuck to it, but you can't just change a policy mid-semester."

Fagala, on the other hand, had been charged $37.50 on his Summer IV session bill without any notification that his Summer I membership had been terminated.

"This is ridiculous," he said on the day he was denied access to the CRWC. "I have been here every day, and no one told me I had to pay anything other than my fee bill."

Clearly, this is a glitch that needs to be fixed.

Ohmer, a columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at dccampus@mail.uh.edu.