Policy preventing visiting students from accessing recreational facilities overturned

<p>Wilson Gym.</p>

Wilson Gym.

Visiting students are now allowed to purchase memberships to recreational facilities on campus after an online petition resulted in a University policy being overturned.

Originally, the policy stated that visiting students were only allowed to use the facilities as paying guests when accompanied by Duke staff or students. Many visiting students expressed dissatisfaction with this rule—resulting in the creation of a petition by Derek Moreira, a visiting student from Sao Paulo State University in Brazil. A meeting held by Executive Vice President Tallman Trask May 29 resulted in the policy being changed, said Felicia Tittle, executive director of recreation and physical education.

“I’m impressed,” Moreira said. “I didn’t think that they would change it.”

The petition—which was signed by more than 120 students—stated that visiting students need to use the recreational facilities to stay healthy and relieve stress and emphasized the inconvenience as well as the cost of purchasing memberships at off-campus gyms.

Tittle said the original policy was created because of tax implications involved in selling memberships. She first began hearing complaints about the rule in the beginning of April, she explained, adding that a meeting had already been scheduled to discuss the issue before the petition was created.

“[The policy change] may not be a direct result of the petition, but it probably helped,” she said.

Tittle said that visiting students were unintentionally lumped into a category with other groups of people who use the recreational facilities. Because visiting students do not have an impact on taxes like other groups, the policy was removed and they will be allowed to purchase memberships, she said.

Tittle noted that she was not surprised students were unhappy with the policy. The Duke community appreciates the services offered by the recreational facilities and many are upset when they cannot access the facilities for any reason, she said. She added that she apologizes for any inconvenience resulting from the policy.

Moreira said that the issue with the memberships was his only complaint at Duke so far, noting how well he has been treated at the University. The policy change shows that Duke is a place where students have a voice and are listened to, he said.

“It’s not about being perfect,” he said. “It’s about recognizing a mistake and correcting it, which is what Duke did.”

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