FrogFit costs taking some criticisms

By Alisha Brown
Staff Reporter

Natalie Houston dropped off her student ID card at the front entrance of the Rickel Building in exchange for a sweat towel and headed down to an aerobics class she never paid for.

Sneaking into FrogFit classes is not difficult for the adamant exerciser, said Houston, a sophomore speech communication major.

The aerobics classes are provided by the Rickel for fees competitive to outside gyms, said Mary Ellen Milam, program director for recreational sports. Membership for one year is $120, $75 for one semester and $35 for classes after Spring Break. The Rickel offers 14 classes throughout the week.

A sticker is placed on a student’s ID card, indicating which semesters they have paid for, Milam said. Rickel staff members are supposed to be stationed at the aerobics room entrance to check IDs.

Milam said the towel trick doesn’t work anymore because towels are located in the aerobics room, so members don’t have to turn in their ID.

But at a step aerobics class at 9 p.m. Wednesday, no door monitor was on duty, and no towels were in the aerobics room.

Aerobics instructor Stephanie Tucker said that since the fall semester, she has never had a staff member check IDs at any of her

Sunday, Monday or Wednesday classes.

Milam said the time Tucker’s classes are offered makes a difference.

“The classes during the day have someone monitoring there,” Milam said. “But it doesn’t make sense to pay someone for that shift for an hour when they only check IDs for the first 20 minutes. Our other classes are back-to-back.”

Milam said it is the instructor’s responsibility to check IDs during those times.

Regardless, some students disagree with being charged for taking the classes. Houston said she thinks the classes should be open to everyone.

When the program began in 1986, TCU officials wanted to ensure the program would fund itself, Milam said.

“We used to have student instructors, which lowered the cost,” she said. “But we started to hire outside contractors to come in and teach so we could increase the number and level of classes offered.”

Mark Moreno, a fitness counselor for Q The Sports Club, said it offers a monthly membership charge of $46, which includes participation in all 75 aerobics classes.

But Fit for Life charges $39 a month for membership and $50 for 10 cycling classes, salesman Mike Coon said.

Rates at both gyms vary by plan and during promotional sales.

Carol Campbell, vice chancellor for finance and business, said $65 from each student’s tuition and fees goes toward the recreational sports budget.

However, maintenance, insurance, equipment and other services are taken care of through other departments which operate on their own budget, Campbell said.

She said the dollar amount from students’ tuition that goes toward the Rickel and the services it provides is splintered.

Milam said, “I would still estimate that (the Rickel) is less than you would pay for a regular gym.”

Alisha Brown
a.k.brown2@student.tcu.edu