The Student Senate will be voting on the second resolution of this year on the proposed Campus Recreation fee increase during Wednesday’s meeting.

The increase will go from $6.00 per credit hour to $9.00 per credit hour, with a cap at 12 credit hours per student for the 2022 fiscal year. 

Sarah Daugherty, director of Campus Recreation at Eastern, said at last week’s Student Senate meeting that the current budget for the recreation center uses funds self-generated through selling memberships. The recreation center does not receive money from the state for costs.

Student workers are paid from money from the apportionment board and six students there are currently being funded by federal work study.

Daugherty said that the increase in this fee would allow the apportionment board to remove Campus Recreation from consideration. This would also allow the apportionment board to possibly invest in equipment, lockers, a previously considered rock wall, among other items at Campus Recreation.

Daugherty showed the apportionment board allocation through the years for Campus Recreation. The allocation will be changed to $0 if the fee increase is approved, however if it fails then it would be $205,200.

Extra money left over before the full wage increase to $15 per hour is to be used for equipment, facility improvement and professional staff.

There are currently two professional staff and 65 pieces of cardio equipment. 70 percent of the cardio equipment is over six years old.

Student Body Executive Vice President Michael Perri asked if equipment out of date poses a higher risk of injury to which Daugherty said that all the equipment is safe, however new equipment is safer than older and that interactive equipment will never be eliminated.

Student Body Senator Karki said through his work at Campus Recreation that he supports the increase and knows of two machines that are not working properly at the current moment.

Student Body Senator Amaya who also works at Campus Recreation supports the increase and said that new equipment and such would attract more people instead of them going to somewhere like Planet Fitness.

Student Body Senators have been tasked with asking peers what they feel about the increase, as well as formulating their own opinions for this week’s meeting to discuss and vote upon the resolution.

Theo Edwards can be reached at 581-2812 or at heedwards@eiu.edu.