Rec center memberships now available to students, staff, faculty and trustees

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– August 14, 2009Posted in: Current News

Rec center memberships now available to students, staff, faculty and trustees

BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News staff

Fitness buffs at Rice will have much to celebrate Sept. 25 at the grand opening of the ever-so-cool workout facilities in Rice University’s new Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center. Students and employees can start signing up for memberships Aug. 17.

The rec center features a 2,400-square-foot recreation pool bedecked with a row of palm trees, a 50-meter competition pool, two indoor and two outdoor basketball courts, an indoor soccer arena, four racquetball courts, two squash courts, a 9,000-square-foot weight and cardio workout room and four multipurpose rooms for group fitness and dance classes. The center is named in honor of Rice alums David ’71 and Barbara ’73 Gibbs, who made the lead gift for the $41 million facility.

“What a deal! What a deal!” said Rice Athletics Director Chris Del Conte, who is managing the center. “For just 80 cents a day, the Rice community can work out in an unbelievable gym.”

Del Conte said the main purpose of the center is to promote health: “You need to take care of yourself by exercising, so one hour a day, step away.”

Eligibility for memberships will be limited during an open enrollment period from Aug. 17 to Nov. 1 to:

* students enrolled in programs for academic course credit and their spouses, domestic partners and families

* Rice employees, both part-time and full-time, and their spouses, domestic partners and families

* current and former Rice trustees and their spouses, domestic partners and families

* Rice Associates members and their spouses, domestic partners and families

* Rice retirees and their spouses, domestic partners and families.

After remaining capacity is assessed, membership enrollment will open in January for additional groups if space is available:

* alumni and their spouses, domestic partners and families

* students enrolled in noncredit courses

To comply with federal regulations for private, nonprofit institutions, Rice must limit the number of memberships that are not for Rice students or employees. These external memberships will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Membership fees will be charged on an annual basis. They will be prorated for the 2009-10 academic year since the rec center will not open until Sept. 25.

* Rice undergraduate students: $90 per academic year, with summer membership available for $30 more

* Rice graduate students: $120 per year

* Rice employees and current and former trustees: $288 per year. Employees whose annual salary is $35,000 or less will be charged $202 per year — a 30 percent discount — as will their spouse or domestic partner..

* Retirees and Rice Associates: $288 per year

* Spouses and domestic partners of Rice employees, retirees and Rice Associates: $288 per year

* Spouses and domestic partners of graduate students: $120 per year

* All other users, including alumni: $540 per year

* Family rate (applies to children 18 years of age or younger) for faculty, staff, students and trustees: $720 per year; for alumni and others: $1,450 per year.

Because the rec center is primarily for students and employees, they must join the rec center in order for their spouse, domestic partner and children to join at the rates above. No daily, weekly or monthly memberships will be available, but members can obtain one guest pass per day for $5.

For safety reasons, members’ children who are 16 years old or younger must be accompanied by a legal guardian at all times and cannot use the cardio, fitness or weight rooms.

Membership includes free use of towels and day lockers. Reserved lockers are available for an additional fee of $65 per year for students, $80 for employees and trustees and $95 for others. Personal trainers and group fitness classes are available for extra fees.

Membership applications are available in the administrative office on the second floor of the current Recreation Center located in Tudor Fieldhouse between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Employees must pay for the first three months of membership by check, cash or credit card when they apply for membership. They may also pay for the full year in advance. A payroll deduction option will be available for employees later in the year.

For graduate students who apply for a membership, the fee will be added to their student bill unless they pay in advance.

The nine-month fee for undergraduate students is included in the student bill as a mandatory fee, but they will receive a $15 credit on their first-semester bills because of the late-September opening.

Undergraduate students can pay $30 to use the rec center during the summer if they are registered for the next fall semester.

A current Rice ID card will be needed to use the rec center. External members can purchase a Rice ID card at the Rice University Police Department for $10 each.

During the school year, the rec center will be open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. until midnight; Friday from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

During summer recess, the center will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The center’s grand opening ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sept. 25.

For more information about the new facility, visit http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ricerec/member_info.html or call 713-348-4058.

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