It’s the final 15 minutes of the workout. The glorious endorphin-fueled pinnacle that the physical crescendo of the workout has lead to. Where bodybuilders and powerlifters find the gates of Valhalla and runners find their escape into cardio Nirvana. This is where athletes find their conditioning and New Year’s resolutioners stave off the freshman fifteen, no matter how long ago they were in fact freshmen.  

In regards to his workouts, Muhammad Ali once said, “I only start counting when it starts hurting. When I feel pain, that’s when I start counting, because that’s when it really counts.” 

The last 15 minutes are where it hurts; the last 15 minutes are where it counts. These 15 minutes can be the difference between progress and stagnation. So why then is the Oakland University Campus Recreation Center taking these crucial minutes away from its students? 

It’s been a year since the great tuition hike of 2015 and for the most part, life on campus has continued the same. The parking remains static, book prices stay high and the administration operates in a generally aloof manner when it comes to the wants and needs of its students. 

But this is the status quo for modern universities and Oakland University is no different. We cling to what sets us apart, like our giant musical phallic symbol inspiring us to rise higher, while systemically falling victim to the same faults that seem to plague all institutions of higher education. 

Some good has come from these tuition hikes, and notably the addition of more quality faculty has been a boon to the university. However the university is frankly dropping the ball on several key amenities and perhaps the greatest transgressor is the Rec Center. 

Parts of the Rec Center are nice, the indoor track is great, the pool is wonderful and word on the streets is that the weight training area for the athletes is amazing. But the sad truth is that the weight area provided for the students is a sad afterthought that barely passes for a complete gym. In fact, key equipment that any consumer would hope to find in a gym is simply not present in the Rec. 

Moreover, the equipment that is provided is often broken, and when something crucial breaks it is often removed instead of replaced. 

The equipment that is available is very limited. For 20,000 students, plus the paying members, the Rec provides four squat racks, two platform areas and four rowers, only three of which works properly. The fact is that the small size and poor availability of equipment make it hard to get a good workout in any time after 10 a.m. One could only hope that the university would do something to expand the equipment and/or hours to increase accessibility for its students. Sadly, however, the opposite has occurred. 

Rather than increasing the hours, the recent policy change at the Rec has been to push people out 15 minutes before the posted close time. 

Why? Because the Rec doesn’t want to pay its staff overtime. This is a problem. Not only does this show poor planning and allocation of funds, but the fact that the Rec has brought in an armed officer to encourage people to leave early has strangely dystopian overtones. 

Socrates once said, “No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” 

The Rec is removing students’ rights and making fools of us all.