UW-Stout Students Flex Muscle in Fitness Center Vote

V1 Staff |

UW-Stout students have approved a $22.5 million project that would use student fees to add extra recreational space to the university’s Sports and Recreation Complex. In an April advisory referendum, nearly half of the 1,275 students who voted picked the $22.5 million option out of four available choices, which included two smaller options as well as the choice to do nothing. The Stout Student Association later OK’d a resolution calling for the project, which would increase student segregated fees by $11.29 per credit. For a load of 30 credits over two semesters, fees would go up by $250. However, in exchange, UW-Stout students would no longer pay Fitness Center fees. According to a UW-Stout press release, the project will “recycle (an) unused pool area into a multiuse gymnasium and improve locker and shower facilities, providing more privacy and gender-neutral options.” The renovation will include new space for fitness (including strength training, cardio, and a fitness studio), two multiuse courts, two studio gyms, a walking and jogging track, and space for open recreation. The timeline for the project is uncertain, as it still must go be included in the Board of Regents’ 2021-23 capital plan and receive approval from the state Building Commission, the Legislature, and the governor.