According to mayoclinic.org, regular physical activity can reduce symptoms of depression about as effectively as antidepressants. With the stress of college causing around 30 percent of U.S. college students to experience depression, your university should be providing you with opportunities to exercise your body and mind – free of added fees. Group fitness classes are a fun and alternative way to get active with the motivation of those around you and an instructor who knows how to design an effective workout. While St. Thomas students are free to utilize the cardio machines and weight room without any additional costs, those who wish to participate in group fitness classes are forced to pay a ridiculous bill, with packaging options both overpriced and unrealistic for the average student.
St. Thomas’ fitness packaging has three different levels. It costs $100 for a half-semester of classes, $175 for a full semester, and $300 for the academic year. Five different classes are offered, including Power Yoga, Yoga Sculpt, Zumba, Spinning and Body Fitness. In previous years, students could simply sign up for the individual classes that they wanted to attend and only pay the cost for that class. This new format has caused a lot of empty rooms when it comes time to work out. Caitlyn Wakem, a Zumba instructor here at St. Thomas, has been quite disappointed with how the high cost for group classes has affected her class numbers this year.
“I think that when people take group fitness classes, they expect and want the room to be full,” Wakem stated. “It’s a lot more fun when the group is larger, and I could understand the students feeling awkward to come back when there is only one other person in the room.”
The increase in cost has driven away previous participants, discouraging those who did sign up and taking away from the group atmosphere that many enjoyed about the classes.
With the stress on college students being at an all time high, it’s absolutely ludicrous that your educational institution would exploit this opportunity to make even more money off of you by charging extra to participate in group fitness classes, something that any other gym would provide to its members for free. It has become quite obvious that this new format for fitness classes is simply not benefitting anyone. Students are unable to afford the additional cost, leaving instructors frustrated and class sizes diminishing. If St. Thomas wants to provide a more well-rounded fitness experience for its students, then they are going to need to take away the fee for participating in group classes. When will we stop prioritizing a monetary benefit over the health and well-being of our students?