Since the opening of NIU’s Recreation Center in 1985, the rec center has increased in popularity among students, faculty, alumni and community members, according to an NIU survey.

Rec center Director Betty Montgomery said, “1,200 to 1,500 participants, which include faculty, staff, students and community members, use the rec center in a day.”

In April, the NIU Student Affairs Office surveyed 367 users of the rec center. The survey showed students comprised 59 percent of the members, faculty and staff were four percent and community members were three percent. The results of the survey also showed that 66 percent of the members used the rec center three or more times a week.

The rec center received an “A” grade from 29.4 percent of the members surveyed. Jon Dalton, NIU vice president for student affairs, “By and large, students are pleased with the facility.”

The rec center provides many programs, including recreational and intramural sports, outdoor activities, fitness classes and creative art courses. “We continue to market the facility with a ‘soft sell’ in the community and have had considerable response to our fitness classes, aerobics, and craft classes, as well as general recreation programs,” Dalton said.

Dalton said a fee of $25.20 is deducted each semester from a student’s tuition and fees, if the student has a class load of 12 hours or more, for usage of the rec center. An amount of $2.10 is deducted for each credit hour. All NIU students are automatically rec center members.

Most of the income to fund the rec center comes from memberships. Other income is produced from rentals and day passes.

On the day the people were surveyed, 199 of them came to use the weight room. Dalton said, “One area of concern is the weightroom. It’s too small for the demand we have.

“There are no specific plans for major development (of the rec center). There are ongoing changes to keep up with the facility,” he said. “Programming will change with students’ wants.”