By Adam Nadeau | Observer Reporter
So it’s time for another school year, and like many students you might’ve put on a few pounds of pudge during the warm summer months. Personally, I enjoy letting out some stress in the fall by taking advantage of our school’s workout facility. It isn’t great, but hey, it’s right on campus.
Up until now MWCC gave their full-time students the perk of membership at their Fitness & Wellness Center, which isn’t uncommon. Every community college in Massachusetts gives their students a free membership, a small thank-you for spending thousands on an education at their college. Students returning this semester are still just learning that the Fitness and Wellness Center now charges $60 per semester to full-time students, quite the price increase from $0.
I conducted some surveys and handed them to MWCC students, asking their feelings on the gym’s new prices. As I sat reading them, a mutual feeling of discontent seemed to resonate from the student body, like a dog that’s been abused but knows it still belongs to its owner. Students can be easily taken advantage of when they have no choice in the matter, and $120 a year might be a car payment for a single mother.
The administration has mostly pushed the blame around, saying the Fitness and Wellness Center is a separate business from the school, and can make its own prices. I think the students know that this is completely unnecessary with the success the school is having, and they should express their feelings instead of being pushed around.
As I sat in the MWCC cafeteria, biting into a juicy cheeseburger, I decided to log on to the school’s website. I wanted to see what the school promotes to incoming students in particular. Under the “Become A Student” link, it still boldly prints “Full-time MWCC students have free access to the Fitness & Wellness Center, featuring state-of-the-art equipment in a clean and friendly environment.” Well, yeah… we used to.
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