Vote On Fee Increase

The Student Service Fee Committee and UCSF Fitness and Recreation Center have initiated a student fee referendum to increase the Campus Community Center Fee (CCCF) by $14 per quarter per student from the current $52 per quarter to $66 per quarter.

This fee increase would ensure that students maintain access to both Millberry and Bakar Fitness and Recreation Centers.

All students registered in the Spring 2020 quarter are eligible and encouraged to vote between May 6-20. The referendum was drafted by UCSF Fitness & Recreation and has been approved by The Graduate and Professional Students Association.

“The GPSA finds that the decision to move the access fee from SSF to CCCF is the most sustainable option to ensure long-term access for UCSF students to both Millberry and Bakar fitness centers,” GPSA President Elizabeth Tinoco stated. “Voting YES on this referendum is very important for students to maintain access to both gyms.”

To understand why the referendum is occurring, it is important to understand the history of the CCCF.

Students who recognized the need for fitness and recreation facilities at UCSF initiated the construction of Millberry Union on the Parnassus campus in 1958.

Funding for the original construction at Millberry was provided through a combination of state funds, donors, and reserves generated by a student-run bookstore.

Upon opening, students voted to assess themselves a Student Union Fee, establishing the Campus Community Center Fee (CCCF) to help support the fitness facility's operations.

When the Bakar Fitness and Recreation Center opened on the Mission Bay campus in 2005, it did so without any student funding support for the construction.

In 2007, the UCSF student chair of the Campus Community Centers Advisory Council requested funding of $80,000 from Student Services Fees (SSF) to preserve priority student access to the Bakar Fitness and Recreation Center.

The Student Service Fee Committee, faced with budget shortfalls in 2020-21, voted to no longer fund student priority access for Bakar Fitness and Recreation Center.

The funds are set to expire in July 2020 so that they can be reallocated.

If the 2020 referendum is approved, the CCCF will increase by $14 per quarter and students will maintain access to both Millberry and Bakar Fitness and Recreation Centers.

If the 2020 referendum is not approved, student access to Bakar Fitness and Recreation Center would only be available as an optional add-on membership for $30 per month.

Students would continue to receive access to Millberry Fitness and Recreation Center, but would not be able to access Group X classes or towel service.

UCSF Physical Therapy student Johnny Auyoung believes maintaining student access to both fitness centers is imperative.

"The UCSF fitness centers help keep my mind and body in balance. As graduate students with full schedules and heavy workloads, we often need time to give our minds a break. I found the UCSF fitness centers to be extremely helpful with refreshing my mind and living the example I teach my patients--to live with healthy, fit lifestyles and build strength, which makes everything else in life easier. In addition, the trips and outdoor adventures are a good form of meditation and getaway. This is where I learned how to camp and get outside of my comfort circle that is city-life!" - Johnny Auyoung, UCSF Physical Therapy student.

On May 6 all students will receive an email message with a link to vote. To learn more about the referendum, visit https://bit.ly/FitRec-Referendum.