Should Ethos be free?

When the Union President Alex Kendall said that using the amenities fund to subsidise alcohol was immoral, there was an eruption of anger. Postgraduate students rose to the defense of the amenities fund, and Kendall claimed that he was merely encouraging debate. The discussions about hall rents have almost entirely focused on this subject, but beneath the furore another, perhaps more contentious, question is being asked by the survey: Should Imperial continue to offer free gym and swim facilities at Ethos?

Imperial is possible the only university in the UK that guarantees free gym access to all of its students. Although services like exercise classes or squash courts are charged, the state-of-the-art gym and pool facilities are not. Few students would ever be heard complaining about the quality of the facilities, and it is fair to say that the free access is a luxury.

In the context of the ongoing debate about reducing hall rents, one must ask whether it is worth keeping this luxury. Is it right that profit from hall rents should go to provide free gym access for all?

There are some very convincing arguments for saying No. Not all students who live in halls use the gym regularly and it's likely that many of them will use the gym only once or twice throughout their time at Imperial. Additionally, free gym membership creates problems in terms of usage; zero cost should logically lead to infinite demand. At certain times of the week, it seems as though this rule is adhered to literally. This crowding forces students to use the gym at unsociable hours or pay for private gym membership elsewhere. Raising the cost would dampen demand and therefore the congestion. Already we've seen measures put in place to address the issue of overcrowding. Members of staff (who pay for Ethos) now have allocated gym time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Of course, these arguments can be countered with just as much strength. Staff members earn salaries and are therefore able to pay. There is no need to introduce 'economics' into gym overcrowding because it's already there; students who don't like using the gym when it's busy can go at different times or use a private gym (why penalise those who don't mind?) Do 1st years in Halls really subsidise Ethos? Well only if they all dropped out; a 3rd year using the gym 'for free' paid for it when he or she was in halls in their 1st year.

This is clearly only a taster of the discussions being had on the issue. But most importantly, we mustn't forget the value of free Ethos gym membership as a symbol. It is a luxury, no doubt, but we all feel some pride in being able to say that our university offers its students free gym membership. It's a feather in our collective cap – and that has real value.