Through tuition and additional student fees, UCCS students have access to many services and receive perks at the Recreation & Wellness Center and Ent center.
The fees are billed at the start of every semester, with some dollar amounts being lower in the summer. Students can look at what fees are included alongside their tuition by looking at the tuition and fees document from the Bursar’s Office, which is posted every semester.
Rec Center
According to Director of Campus Recreation David Fehring, students have access to a weight room, cardio spaces, an indoor track and various sport gymnasiums like basketball and volleyball courts as part of their included membership to the center.
Fehring said over 50% of the student body does not take advantage of the resources available at the Rec Center. Every spring and fall semester, undergraduate students pay a flat fee of $192.16 ($96.08 in the summer) and a Student Recreation Fee of $1.19 per credit hour, according to the tuition and fees document from the Bursar’s Office for the 2024 fall semester.
The Rec Center also houses an aquatic center and the Student Outdoor Learning Experience (SOLE) center. The aquatic center has multiple pools including a lap pool and a pool with a volleyball net, and a hot tub that can hold up to 20 people. The SOLE center includes rock climbing walls and a bike and ski repair shop, which offers discounted general maintenance services in addition to repairs.
Students can also access the Alpine Field, which hosts soccer, flag football and other sports.
Students can join a host of fitness programs including an outdoor adventure program, which includes daytrips ranging from $25-$250 and overnight trips ranging from $175-$600.
The Rec center also has an outdoor equipment rental program for students, offering discounted equipment rental for camping, water sports, climbing, biking and snow sports. It also sells the Ikon Pass through the SOLE center, which includes access to nine Colorado ski resorts at half-price.
Fehring said the Rec Center offers safety certification classes including CPR first aid and ID-training with the American Red Cross and American Heart Association and NOLS Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training. In addition to those classes, the center offers swimming lessons.
The Rec Center offers memberships to families of UCCS students and alum. It also offers daily guest passes that grant access to its facilities.
Wellness Center
According to the tuition and fees document, undergraduate students pay a Wellness Center fee of $138.77 for the fall and spring and $69.39 for the summer.
According to Fran Cordrey, the office manager at the Wellness Center, the center offers health visits with nurse practitioners. She added that a dietician is available every Wednesday. The center also offers mental health services, including therapy and crisis appointments that are available every weekday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For the services previously listed, the Wellness Center provides the first three appointments per semester at no cost to the student. Additional appointments each require a flat rate of $20. The Wellness Center also provides discounted medications and in-house tests if necessary. Insurance is only accepted for lab work.
Cordrey noted that walk-ins are allowed, but availability can be limited, so scheduling an appointment is highly encouraged. The center is open Mon-Fri from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., following the campus’s delays and closures. Appointments can be scheduled by calling the Wellness Center at 719-255-4444.
Additionally, an independent chiropractor and massage therapist are available a couple times a week at discounted rates for students. The center also offers STI clinics throughout the semester that can be found on Mountain Lion Connect and seasonal flu shots. On a walk-in basis, students can ask for cold care kits and various hygiene products at the Wellness Center.
Due to the additional costs, Cordrey emphasized the Wellness Center’s willingness to help any students bearing financial hardships. She said, “We are always able to help so that a student doesn’t think that ‘oh I don’t have money, so I’m just gonna suffer.’ We still want them to give us a call and come in … We don’t ever want someone to not come in to see us.”
Ent Center
Students also receive free and discounted services at the Ent Center. According to Matthew Nemick, the patron service manager at the Ent center, students receive free or discounted tickets to nearly anything produced or hosted at the Ent Center.
This includes free tickets to the Ent Center’s in-house theater company Theatreworks’ productions, which students can receive by calling, emailing or visiting the Ent Center, and special events hosted in the gallery.
Students can also attend the VAPA student music and theater productions for free. Nemick noted that as of Dec. 6, the theater had sold 3,085 student tickets.
The Ent Center hosts an artist series that features artists from around the world with a $5 admission fee. According to their website, the next event is on Jan. 23-24 featuring the Cabaret Club performing a concert-reading of The Forgotten Arm.
The Ent Center also hosts free hour-long yoga classes every Wednesday that start at noon. Registration for the yoga class as well as information about additional events at the Ent Center can be found through the calendar provided on the center’s website.
Alpine Field. Photo by Josiah Dolan.