Christmas is over, and all the sweets, festivities and heavy, hearty meals are showing a little too much on my hips. I’m a remote student, but I don’t have a home gym, and I want to work out. Plus, outdoor winter walks are just not my thing.
“I know,” I think to myself, “I will go to campus!”
They have a gym, and from what I remember when researching schools on the website last year, the program page said I pay fees for it as a NAIT student. I saw the entrance to the gym on the campus tour, so I know where to go. But when a remote student arrives, they get asked to pay at the door.
“Oh man, never mind. I don’t have any money right now,” I thought. Wait, why would I pay money at the door when I already pay fees?
From my experience, when I applied to NAIT for the Disaster and Emergency Management program, I believed I would be paying the recreation and athletic fee; a fact I was totally okay with. I was thrilled to have access to the facilities here — I planned on being on campus from time to time, and if I could get an hour at the gym in, so be it.
But I found out that I actually don’t pay the recreation and athletics fee as a remote student. This was not immediately obvious when browsing which programs I wanted to take last year.
That has since been clarified on the NAIT website in a little blurb beside the fees tab on each individual program, which is a great fix.
Now, we can get reduced fees extended to our accounts instead of paying the Fitness Centre’s full daily rates, but we must reach out to our program head.
Which is fine in theory, but it isn’t a guarantee, and that lack of clarity is one of the issues I am facing. Not to mention that still requires having money on hand at the time of arrival.
The full price to use the fitness facilities is $6 daily or $33.22 per month for a student membership, but mid-month memberships are half off, confirmed a Fitness Weight Centre coordinator from the Department of Athletics and Recreation by email.
It isn’t easy to see exactly what is and is not paid and how much until after applying. Personally, I like a penny for penny breakdown before I agree to pay anything, based on my specific situation — not after applying and agreeing to pay. As a first-year student at NAIT, I think this could have been communicated better. Not to mention the price of parking just to find out you have to also pay for the gym you thought you were already paying for.
Well now, that just grinds my gears. Imagine thinking you’re already paying for something just to be told you’re paying again at the door. Thankfully, this miscommunication between some remote students and the faculty seems to be on the mend.
That leads me to wonder; what if we could opt in or out of those fees the same way we do with our benefits, so that those of us who live in the city can easily use the facilities? Then I might be able to sweat out some of this fee aggravation.
Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful to not add more to my fees if they aren’t applicable to me. But when I applied, I was excited about the opportunity to use the gym at school. Now I just don’t have that extra cash lying around day to day, but I think some students might be willing to pay the fee. Until then, I guess it’s time to get all fat and sassy.
Feature image via NAIT
