Working out in the BYU athletic facilities is a privilege full-time students enjoy during fall and winter, but that changes in spring/summer if students wait until fall to sign up for class.
Students who are full-time fall/winter but do not take classes during spring/summer can’t use the athletic facilities for free. However, they can receive access with a fee.
Jessica Viehweg, one of the facility’s front-desk employees, said if students are full-time, they can get a wristband. If not, they can only use the track.
“To use the facilities, you have to get a wristband,” Viehweg said. “To get a wristband, you have to be a faculty member, a full-time student or a dependent of a full-time student.”
If a student has a wristband, they are allowed to use the student fitness center, the gyms in the Richards Building, the Smith Fieldhouse and the tennis courts. The only facility open to the public without having a wristband is the track.
Viehweg said for students to be full-time, they must pay.
“In order to qualify as a full-time student, you must be currently paying tuition,” Viehweg said. “So if you are a full-time student during the fall/winter, it does not count as a full-time student during spring/summer.”
Viehweg said if people are caught using the facilities without wristbands, appropriate action will be taken.
“If you’re caught using a wristband as a non-student or refusing to pay to use the facilities, it is seen as a theft of services and you’ll be asked to leave,” Viehweg said. “If you refuse to leave, BYU Police will be involved.”
Clarise Insch and Kristina Roberts are two of the information desk assistants for the athletic facilities. Roberts said if students are full-time fall/winter but not spring/summer, they still can receive wristbands if a fee is paid. The cost to use facilities is $22.50 per term and $5 for a day pass.
“In order for a guest to come and use the gym, they must attend with a full-time student and pay the fee,” Insch said. “The facilities are not open to the community and alumni have no privileges to the facilities.”
Roberts said the aerobic classes follow a similar policy.
“Since universities are not allowed to compete with businesses in the surrounding areas, the aerobic classes are closed to the public,” Roberts said. “These classes are offered to students, faculty and dependents. The aerobic wrist bands cost $48.”
Aubree Stoddard, a junior from Atlanta studying exercise and wellness, said students need to remember that using facilities is a benefit.
“It is a privilege for us to use the facilities,” Stoddard said. “If you aren’t paying tuition, you don’t get to use the facilities. There are still a lot of different activities people can do outside in Provo to stay fit and healthy during the summer.”
