State Gym is well on its way to finishing its new makeover — and students will be helping foot the bill.

With a new pool, jacuzzi, smoothie bar and other amenities, State Gym is expected to be finished by next fall. Students will be paying $161 instead of $71 next year for this addition.

Although the cost is going up, Mike Giles, director of Recreation Services, would like to remind students that the “56 percent they are funding was voted on by the students and passed by 52 percent. It was voted on for the students, by the students for improvement on the particular entities.”

The university has been through many hurdles, including consulting with students to give this project the go ahead.

“With this increased fee, you will see growth. As opportunities at this campus start to grow, we need to grow with that,” Giles said.

Douglas Borkowski, lecturer of human development and family studies and financial counseling clinic director, said, “I do not think the fee increase will have much of an effect [on student debt]. I would say that if students tracked what they were spending money on over a semester, they would find that much in wasteful spending in many cases.”

Giles said he wants students to understand where their money goes.

“Yes, there is a fee increase, but it really goes toward making your time here at ISU better for you,” Giles said. “In a lot of ways, when you are a member of ISU, you are part of an ISU community. You may not use the health center or the CyRide, but these are amenities that are part of the university or college life that add benefit to you as an individual.”

Giles said students are part of making the ISU community a better place.

“It’s a part of what we or you do is pay for things you don’t necessarily use. It is for the betterment for the ISU community as a whole,” Giles said.

Iowa State has to compete against peer institutions in its recreational program, Giles said.

“What a well-programmed recreational program does is it gives … the student … a co-curricular opportunity, because it gives you that opportunity to help your social, physical, mental health outside of the classroom,” Giles said. “We have not been at the top of the Big 12 for a while, but what it does for us is bring us in greater competition to our rivals.”

Recreation services are in high demand by ISU students, Giles said.

“It’s, to some degree, competing with the ‘Joneses,'” Giles said. “Prior to the election in 2008, we did a feasibility study, and in that study it came out through all the participants that participated that 94 to 96 percent of the student body used recreational services. This could be from participating at one intramural while you’re here to going to [Lied Recreation Athletic Center] every day.”