Should we really be paying for the gym?

[ARTooD2]

Quoting 777 from 18:18, 23rd Feb 2008
To pursue the point about finance. St A is a very small Uni, the fees are approx half that of English Unis, (and don't forget that a high percentage of St A students pay no fees) therefore Bath, with its larger roll and increased ready cash can afford to splash out. St Andrews has yet to catch up with the 1950s and 60s let alone provide a state of the art gym facility. TBH - I find that walking everywhere and using one's own body weight for resistance training is more than adequate for fitness. bloody shame about the pool though.

The people may not pay the fees themselves but the uni still recieves the same amount of money from the government for every student there I belive...

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King Sinner

[777]

Quoting ARTooD2 from 19:42, 23rd Feb 2008

Quoting 777 from 18:18, 23rd Feb 2008
To pursue the point about finance. St A is a very small Uni, the fees are approx half that of English Unis, (and don't forget that a high percentage of St A students pay no fees) therefore Bath, with its larger roll and increased ready cash can afford to splash out. St Andrews has yet to catch up with the 1950s and 60s let alone provide a state of the art gym facility. TBH - I find that walking everywhere and using one's own body weight for resistance training is more than adequate for fitness. bloody shame about the pool though.

The people may not pay the fees themselves but the uni still recieves the same amount of money from the government for every student there I belive...

[hr]

King Sinner

The same amount as English Unis? I never knew that.

[Matt Badger]

My gym is amazing and free. Kinda makes me want to have a powerthirst right now!

[Guest]

Technically, that's true. When the Scottish Home Office refused to let Scottish unis charge top-up fees at the level English unis do, they said the government would make up the difference. Of course, they never came through on that, so Scottish unis are behind their English counterparts financially by tens of millions of pounds.

[exnihilo]

The Scottish Home Office? The what?

[ARTooD2]

Quoting 777 from 19:47, 23rd Feb 2008

Quoting ARTooD2 from 19:42, 23rd Feb 2008

Quoting 777 from 18:18, 23rd Feb 2008
To pursue the point about finance. St A is a very small Uni, the fees are approx half that of English Unis, (and don't forget that a high percentage of St A students pay no fees) therefore Bath, with its larger roll and increased ready cash can afford to splash out. St Andrews has yet to catch up with the 1950s and 60s let alone provide a state of the art gym facility. TBH - I find that walking everywhere and using one's own body weight for resistance training is more than adequate for fitness. bloody shame about the pool though.

The people may not pay the fees themselves but the uni still recieves the same amount of money from the government for every student there I belive...

[hr]

King Sinner

The same amount as English Unis? I never knew that.

Well they don't get the top up fees. The uni gets the same amount of money for the people that pay 'no fees' (payed by the government) as they do for people who pay full fees at the uni. As far as I'm aware...might be wrong though

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King Sinner

[Mehmsy]

Quoting from 08:20, 20th Feb 2008
I think the whole argument about the university paying all its money from fees to its lecturers is quite simply nonsense. The university coffers are clearly overflowing with cash, particularly at a time when they are selling buildings for 25 million, their estate value is mushrooming in value and they have gained a reputation amongst the fat and wealthy that it is the fashionable university to go to.

If the university's coffers were 'overflowing,' it would afford to keep the fees for Fife Park's replacement as low as they are now.

Students are being put first every time: we get first class lecturers instead of free sports facilities... which, given the case, is preferable.

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http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37106593

[Mr Comedy]

Quoting 777 from 18:18, 23rd Feb 2008
To pursue the point about finance. St A is a very small Uni, the fees are approx half that of English Unis, (and don't forget that a high percentage of St A students pay no fees) therefore Bath, with its larger roll and increased ready cash can afford to splash out. St Andrews has yet to catch up with the 1950s and 60s let alone provide a state of the art gym facility. TBH - I find that walking everywhere and using one's own body weight for resistance training is more than adequate for fitness. bloody shame about the pool though.

Also bear in mind that Bath has spent many millions developing its sports facilities for a couple of reasons:
- It offers a number of sports science degrees and therefore the sports offering is going to be comparatively more of interest to your prospective undergrad than it is at St Andrews;
- It has also deliberately set itself up as a training base for a large part of the British Olympic Squad, with world-class facilities for this reason. This has been largely funded by the relevant sports bodies.

Therefore by all means draw comparison with Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow (despite the fact that all of these universities are much larger and therefore have a far higher budget), but Bath isn't really a proper comparison. Neither are Loughborough or Southampton for that matter.

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"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea. " -Lu Tung

[Mr Comedy]

Quoting exnihilo from 00:39, 24th Feb 2008
The Scottish Home Office? The what?

Exactly. Can you let me know what this Home Office is? I for one have never heard of it.

[hr]

"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea. " -Lu Tung

[Super Jock]

Scottish home office, also called or part of the scottish executive, which is now called the scottish government. I believe the home office was actually a branch of the scottish executive in charge of internal affairs. The UK one is in charge of things like immigration, crime, and drugs, that sort of thing.

But all things scottish and governmental are called the scottish government now. Less confusing.

[Dickie]

To the question: Should we really pay for the gym?
Answer is: YES

It is a service used by some needed (and I mean NEEDED) by none. You will as no part of your degree ever have to set foot in the place unless it is being used as an exam hall.

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http://facebook.com/p.php?id=37106107&l=217e435e0a

[Thalia]

What's always bugged me is the fact that we pay both membership fees and also entry fees. I would prefer to pay more in membership for unlimited use or else pay more per use and not have a membership fee at all. But that might just be me being strange

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You've been nothing but an angel every day of your life and now you wonder what it's like to be damned...

[Kieran]

St Andrews might be a small uni but it's proportionally very very wealthy, they got fined for hoarding too much didn't they?
Also, think of all the non E.U. students that are paying through the nose every year and also the uber-expensive DRA (can't wait to get out) and New Hall residences.
The University's income is surely imense for its size yet the sports facilities are nowhere near enough, even for a relatively small population.

[Appalled of St Andrews]

There is a plan to add gym membership fees to tuition fees - that way everyone pays, whether they want to use the gym or not.

I think that's a disgrace!

It is also deplorable that 1 semester costs almost as much as a full year (inc summer).