UCLA Recreation reversed their decision to decrease open swim time in the North Pool after student pushback.
Over the summer, UCLA Aquatics removed the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. open swim time on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the North Pool leaving only the 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. time slot open on those days, said Ron Richards, an Anderson School of Management employee and UCLA alum.
But Monday, UCLA Aquatics officials posted a sign near the pool announcing that they changed the open swim hours for Tuesdays and Thursdays to be open for all lanes 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and for two lanes between 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Richards, who uses the pool regularly, said he thinks the initial change to remove all lunchtime open swim hours made many students, faculty and staff upset.
In an email statement, UCLA Recreation said they changed the North Pool hours over the summer because they wanted to include more aquatic programming and fitness opportunities. They added there was demand for creative swimming classes, such as aqua kickboxing.
“Lap swimming, while still very popular, is not inclusive of all participants, and both lap swimmers and those who prefer classes have a right to pool time,” UCLA Recreation officials said.
UCLA Recreation will continue to hold an aqua kickboxing class from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the lanes not designated for open swim. Students who pay a $25 fee for a quarterly fitness pass can take the class. Faculty and staff can attend the class at no cost as a part of their employment benefits.
Richards said he thinks UCLA Recreation eliminated the open swim time primarily to make a profit.
“These are our hours, (students, faculty and staff) pay for them,” Richards said. “We think that they’re not being honest in terms of what their motivation is. We think their motive is to make money for their staff and save money.”
Tony Person, a fourth-year classical civilization and history student, who is a part of the swim club at UCLA, said it was difficult to balance school and swimming over the summer, because he is a commuter student.
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He added the change in open swim hours threw off his schedule because he had been swimming from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every week for a long time.
“(UCLA Aquatics) tries to say only seven people use (the pool) for every lunchtime swim,” Richards said. “I’ve been swimming here for 10 years and I swam there before as a grad student. That’s simply inaccurate, they have no way of knowing.”
Richards said when he asked UCLA Aquatics officials how many people they counted use the pool daily, they did not want to give the information.
Samantha Morse, a graduate student in English, said she has been swimming at the North Pool four or five days a week for a couple years. She added she thinks it is not true that the pool is underused and that she sees many people at the pool every day.
She added she thinks having to wake up at 4 a.m. to swim at 6 a.m. would have been awful.
Richards said that when the initial hours were changed, he had to go to the Students Activities Center pool or the Spieker Aquatic Center.
“I have a locker at North Pool, so I can’t go to SAC,” Person said. “It’s a bit hard to run across (campus) in my Speedo.”
Richards spoke to UCLA Aquatics officials in September but he said they did not respond well to him.
UCLA Recreation officials said they are aware some lap swimmers were disappointed with the hour change over the summer, and the department will carefully balance the needs of both groups moving forward. The department will continue to evaluate pool use and demand throughout the fall quarter.
Morse said she hasn’t gone swimming with the new hours and lane restrictions, but she thinks UCLA made a great compromise. She added she thinks budget cuts might be a hindrance, and this is UCLA Recreation’s effort to introduce new programs.
“We like to swim,” Richards said. “It’s important for us, it’s important for our health, it’s a benefit that we pay for.”
Contributing reports by Allison Ong, Daily Bruin reporter.
Nice reporting.