UTRGV offers different resources to its students, including the University Recreation Building on the Edinburg campus and the Texas Southmost College Recreation Center in Brownsville.
Every UTRGV student is required to pay a recreation fee, which incentivizes some students to utilize the UREC facilities.
“We already pay for school, so we have access to it,” said Criminal Justice junior Sebastian Salinas, a frequent user of the recreation center on the Edinburg campus. “I don’t have to go to any outside gym and pay more money.”
The recreation centers have facilities, programs and equipment available for students.
“We do ask students to pretty much bring their student ID,” said Gilberto Lopez, the University Recreation program coordinator for Brownsville.
Other than that, he said all students need is “their gym attire, and then your shoes, and you’re ready to work out.”
Salinas said he often uses a lounge area near the front of the University Recreation Building on the Edinburg campus, which has microwaves, to “warm up food, do little homework before, then work out.”
Spanish senior Karen Barajas said she appreciates the center’s free water and likes the bathrooms.
“I love them,” Barajas said. “I shower there, and I feel like I have a lot of privacy. The rental lockers are also cheap, so it’s very convenient.”
Both recreation centers have pool facilities, though the Edinburg campus is distinct with its climbing wall feature and new six-lane lap pool currently under construction, according to Annette Livas, UREC associate director of programs.
The UREC will host its signature special event, Late Nite at the REC, as a part of Welcome Week from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday. Additionally, both recreation centers, in conjunction with TSC, will host the REC Bash in late September.
“These two special events are geared towards welcoming the students, either back to class or just to campus,” Livas said. “The purpose of these events is just to tell the student body who and what we are.”
Lopez said students who cannot or do not want to visit the recreation centers can still become involved through an online fitness tracking application called Strava, which also syncs with other apps, such as Samsung Health.
The hours of operation and amenities differ for each center, so students are encouraged to get the details online. “Students can find more information either on our Instagram or Facebook pages, or they can also find more information on our website,” Lopez said.
