Next month, students at California State University, San Marcos will have the opportunity to make their voices heard about their desire for new wellness and recreation facilities on campus.
From April 9th to 11th, CSUSM will hold a referendum where students can vote on whether to increase student fees to fund the project. Voting will begin at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, April 9 and run until 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. Ballots will be sent to eligible students via their email address on file with the university. All enrolled students who have paid the recreational fee are eligible to vote.
The wellness and recreation facility will be the first of its kind within the California State University System. CSUSM is proposing to lease approximately 60,000 square feet of space in a new multi-phase student housing building next to his QUAD apartment complex on Barham Drive. The facility is envisioned as a central hub dedicated to lifelong success, integrating health, wellness, basic needs, and student support services and programs that create a sense of community and well-being.
Currently, student recreational fees are $35 per semester. The direct operating costs of the facility require that the charges be fully effective at least when the building is open. Since this facility is scheduled to open in fall 2026, the fee is proposed to increase to $265 from fall 2025 one year prior.
Additional revenue will support the purchase of furniture and equipment, fund the pre-opening hiring of full-time and part-time staff, training part-time student staff, and developing branding and materials.
For each subsequent fall semester, fees will increase by 3% to adjust for inflation and spending budget increases. This is standard practice at CSU. Fees during the summer semester are 25% of the fees for the previous fall semester.
Wellness and recreation facilities are student-friendly facilities that support all cougars while promoting the eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, physical, social, spiritual, financial, intellectual, environmental, and vocational. We provide space and services.
“With a diverse student body, CSUSM prioritizes physical and mental health as essential components of student growth and provides access to valuable resources to help students learn and develop long-term healthy behaviors.” We are committed to providing the following,” said Lisa Dickinson, Director of Campus Recreation. .
Proposed facility features include:
- More than 10,000 square feet of space for cardio and strength training equipment (more than three times the space in Clark Field House’s fitness center).
- A dedicated wellness area with a mindful reflection space, comfortable lounge seating, and massage chairs for students to relax and rest.
- Outdoor rooftop deck with a synthetic turf field for fitness programs, murals, sports club training, team building, student organization events, and other student activities.
- There are two standard-sized indoor courts suitable for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and events, as well as a viewing area for spectators.
- Three multipurpose rooms feature flexible floors that can be used for a variety of individual and group activities, including Zumba, hip-hop dance, strength training, yoga, Pilates, and mindfulness/meditation sessions.
- Multiple activity rooms and gathering areas accommodate a wide range of wellness programs.
- An esports digital collaboration area for practicing, competing, watching, learning and interacting with games.
- Over 8,000 square feet of outdoor courtyard with hammock and wood deck patio.
For nearly a decade, CSUSM students have advocated for improved health, basic needs, recreational spaces and services to support the campus community. Since 2019, a working group of students and staff has been tasked with identifying ways to achieve this goal. The effort included her two student surveys, which garnered approximately 2,500 responses, and multiple focus groups and forums involving more than 250 students, staff, and administrators.
Recent data shows that student interest and desire for expanded health, fitness, basic needs, and recreation remains overwhelming. In a survey last fall, 91% of students said a new facility was a high priority for CSUSM, and 53% said it was a “very high” priority. When asked about the impact new facilities would have on students and the university community, more than 90% of students surveyed said they felt it would have a significant or answered that it would have a moderate impact. campus community.
is more than Fifty student ambassadors are leading the campaign to educate and inform students about the rates referendum and encourage them to make their voices heard by voting.
“We are excited about the opportunity for our campus to grow and compete with CSU schools that are installing recreation and wellness facilities,” said Campus Recreation Student Coordinator and Student Ambassador Alyssa Loschiavo. “This project is monumental for her CSUSM and provides students with a chance to reflect on their contribution to bringing the facility to campus, and I am proud to be a part of it. .”
For more information, including a complete voter guide and a list of frequently asked questions about the referendum, please visit: https://www.csusm.edu/rec/referendum.html.
