SRC and Stephenson Fitness Center Funding

A student works with a personal trainer on strength training at the SRC

The Student Recreation Center and Stephenson Fitness Center see a combined 497,000 visits each year. They are funded through a combination of sources:

  • University Support (CORE) Funds

    Funds designated by the university to support some custodial and maintenance staffing as well as a portion of utilities.

  • SRC Mandatory Fee

    All graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in 7 or more credits pay a mandatory fee each year. In the 2023-24 academic year, the fee is $168 per semester ($68 for summer).

    The fee was established in 1997. Students approved a ballot measure to create a mandatory student fee that would fund construction and operation of a recreation center. The measure allowed WSU to issue bonds to secure the funds needed to construct the SRC. Language in the referendum dictated that the mandatory fee funds be dedicated only to the recreation center and its operations.

    The fee was implemented starting in the spring of 2001, when the SRC opened. The mandatory fee is charged to all WSU Pullman-based students enrolled in a minimum of 7 credit hours per semester. Students enrolled in summer classes are charged a prorated fee; part-time and Global Campus students may elect to pay the fee to get receive access to the SRC.

    The SRC Mandatory Fee supports:

    • Debt service for the initial construction costs of the Student Recreation Center
    • Operations of the Student Recreation Center for approximately 119 hours a week during the academic year and 93 hours a week in the summer
    • Maintenance and replacement of all equipment, including over 150 pieces of cardio equipment
    • Jobs for about 350 students
    • Maintenance and utilities of the Student Recreation Center and SRC Backyard
    • Operations and equipment for the Stephenson Fitness Center
  • Elective Memberships & Facility Rentals

    Fees paid by faculty, staff, and alumni and part-time students (as well as spouses/partners) if they choose to purchase an SRC membership. Part-time students and their spouses/partners pay the same amount as full-time students; all other membership types pay a higher rate.

    Groups who reserve the SRC pay a facility rental fee to offset the costs associated with using the facility.

This funding goes toward operating costs for the SRC and Stephenson, which include:

  • Salaries and benefits: Salaries and benefits for full-time and graduate assistant staff who manage building operations, programming, human resources, and business services as well as custodians and maintenance staff.
  • Wages: Wages for student employees who work as facility managers, membership and weight room attendants, climbing wall supervisors, and lifeguards.
  • Goods and services: Building insurance, computers, signage and promotional items, financial audit, copying and printing, equipment (from basketballs to weights), custodial supplies and equipment, American Red Cross CPR certification fees, building and equipment repair, recreation management software fee, phone and internet fees, travel costs for staff professional development.
  • Utilities: Gas and electricity for the SRC.
  • Marketing and IT support: Fee for marketing and IT salaries.
  • SRC debt payment: Annual payment toward the SRC bond (the loan for building the SRC).

It also includes the SRC debt payment, which is the annual payment we make toward the SRC bond (i.e., the loan for building the SRC). The bond payment expires in 2032 and is $2.48 million per year.

SRC Funding Data

SRC Mandatory Fee Collection History

Year Mandatory Fee Collected % Change
FY24 $5,043,976 -1.02%
FY23 $5,095,773 -5.53%
FY22 $5,394,309 -6.69%
FY21 $5,780,753 -6.59%
FY20 $6,188,894 0.25%
FY19 $6,173,553 2.48%
FY18 $6,024,060 2.66%
FY17 $5,868,197 -0.53%
FY16 $5,899,723 1.22%
FY15 $5,828,607 3.09%
FY14 $5,654,164 0.75%
FY13 $5,612,039 1.52%

FY24 SRC Projected Revenues

Source Amount Percentage
University Support (CORE) $836,163 12%
SRC Mandatory Fee $5,043,976 74%
Elective Memberships & Facility Rentals $966,086 14%
Total $6,846,225 100%

FY24 SRC Projected Funding Usage

Expense Amount Percentage
Salaries & Benefits $1,814,733 26%
Wages $978,463 14%
Goods & Services $764,766 11%
Utilities $425,430 6%
Marketing & IT $492,580 7%
SRC Debt Payment $2,481,250 36%
Total $6,957,223 100%