Thank you for participating in the 2023 APER survey!
 
A total of 817 individuals out of approximately 4,500 members provided thoughtful and meaningful feedback, adding their current experience and perspective to the collection of responses we have gathered through our survey program over the past twelve years. The survey program is designed to inform our planning and improvement process. This year's survey responses reaffirm many of the measures we have implemented in response to your feedback, and provide more direct information regarding future priorities. The full executive summary, prepared by the Institutional Research Office, is available on our Member Input page.
 
This letter is intended to provide a general overview and response to survey feedback, and to provide additional context on some common themes, including equipment and facilities, hours, and stakeholder priorities. The APER team is committed to addressing community concerns in these areas, while also sharing some of the challenges and complexities involved.
 
At the outset I want to remind you that while surveys are intermittent, improving the member experience and upgrading our facilities is a continuous process. We rely on your regular feedback. If you see something, say something. When you promptly report concerns, particularly those pertaining to equipment in need of repair or potential safety hazards, to our operations staff at the front desk, we can respond in a timely manner. As Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation, I am available to meet with community members. I have office hours on Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m. during the academic year, or by appointment. Please email APER department administrator Lisa Beach at lbeach@caltech.edu to make an appointment.
 
Thank you for your continued participation and engagement with our staff, programs, and facilities. A summary of survey results follows.
 

Community Culture at the Athletic Center

 
The prevailing sense is that our members feel safe and respected in our facilities, and that they feel their questions and concerns are being answered.
 
This reflects our commitment to provide the highest quality of customer service. At the same time, we appreciate that we serve a diverse community, with diverse needs and expectations.
 

• Caltech's recreation facilities are mixed-use, meaning the facilities simultaneously serve undergraduate students, the graduate student community, faculty and staff members, family members, and other recreational users throughout the year. We aim to serve the common good and remain confident that we can balance the range of community expectations and needs as they shift over the course of the academic year and summer. Please note, however, that this requires flexibility from everyone, and an awareness that programs and services may be assigned or limited to some user groups at certain times.
• Within this mixed-use framework, we take a "can-do" posture. So, if you have a question or request, please contact Heather Morgan, our associate director with primary responsibility for recreational programs, at hmorgans@caltech.edu, or me as APER director. We will make every effort to accommodate your request. In instances when we are unable to do so, we will explain the reasoning, particularly as it relates to intended use of the facilities and our responsibility to support all users in a balanced manner.
• Please keep in mind that all facilities must be accessible to all our members, and this requires advance planning. You can review our Facility Schedules page to see when spaces are reserved for groups, and when they are available for walk up use. The North Field is available for community use when not scheduled for use by teams, clubs or leagues and you are encouraged to use the space for open play. Just ask staff at the welcome desk for the key, and be respectful in your use, and relock the facility when you are done.

 

Equipment and Facilities

 
Many survey comments focused on equipment and exercise space requests. Access to strength and cardio equipment is a primary reason members join and use our facilities. As such, it is in an area of continuous focus and improvement. Information on past upgrades and plans for future development can be found on the Facility Improvements page.
 
With support from Institute administrative leadership, we have been able to undertake a thorough renovation of the Brown Gymnasium and locker rooms. This project, following closely on prior membership surveys, involves two phases, with phase one expected to be complete just prior to Thanksgiving. Once the first phase is complete, community members can expect:
 

• a larger set of modern member locker rooms, which will include private changing spaces;
• two individual private shower room and changing spaces for all gender and family use;
• an updated gymnasium with reorganized floor lines and a divider curtain to make the Brown Gym more accessible for more types of simultaneous activities; and
• a central member access point at Brown gym that affords access to the facility and the new locker rooms.

 
When the phase two is completed, we will have:
 

• a new cardio corridor in Brown to compliment the Brown weight room; and
• a separate spinning studio and a stretch lab.

 
The ultimate goal is to add cooling to these spaces as resources allow.
 
Equipment is assessed annually for replacement, repair, or rotation, with a special attention given to equipment with the greatest demand and wear. This assessment also informs an annual process to identify and purchase new equipment in response to expressed community needs. This year, we are adding assault bikes and a flat woodway treadmill to the cardio collection in Braun, and a hack squat machine and a cable pull machine to the Brown weight room.
 
Larger equipment, such as cardio and strength machines, are maintained by an outside vendor on a monthly service schedule. If you see something that requires maintenance, please tell the operations team at the front desk, and we can ensure it is noted on our repair list. There are three weight rooms. If your preferred equipment is offline for maintenance, please consult with a staff member for assistance in identifying a similar piece of equipment for use.
 
Twice a year, we refresh smaller exercise equipment, such as balls, mats, bands, and rackets, which are the most used and most frequently misplaced. You can help us by ensuring that equipment is returned after use and left in the athletic center.
 
Survey responses indicate that there is not a strong member interest in paid towel service.
Additionally, only nine members have indicated over the past four months that they would sign up for paid towel service. Therefore, will not be offering towel service at this time.
   

Hours of Operation and Staff Challenges

 
Hours of operation and changes to building and pool hours were a significant feature of survey response, with many respondents indicating that they wanted a return to expanded hours of operations or schedules that were more aligned with pre-COVID operation. We understand that there is an interest in facilities being open and available more often throughout the day, and do aim to get there. Currently, as we continue to experience a staffing shortage, we have aligned operations to support members access during the most trafficked times.
 

• The general recreational facilities are open weekdays, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on weekends, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• The pools are open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and weekends from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The pools are our most intensively used resource, shared by teams, classes, and general lap swim. We have an emergency pool closure notification system to assist swimmers when the pools shut down for repairs. You may sign up for the notification system online via this link or by scanning the QR code on locker room doors and following the prompts.

 
We expect to increase staffing and expand our hours in accordance with community expectation. Please understand that we face challenges here, particularly around pool and lifeguard hours. But know that we are working diligently and creatively to address staffing needs.
 

Space Limitations and Balancing User Expectations

 
Members expressed some concern and dissatisfaction about limited space and the challenges they experience in accessing preferred equipment and machines, particularly in the peak use hours on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. We appreciate that there is an elevated demand for use of the facility during this window, and we will continue our efforts to expand access.
 
Space and access issues need to be understood in the context of increased community (non-student) membership and activity. Community membership has more than doubled over the past decade. In 2011, there were close to 1,200 community members. Today, we have about 2,400 community members, in addition to our 2,600 student members. This is a welcome development, as it affirms the value and appeal of our facilities, the effectiveness of our investment in new equipment and programs, and the commitment of the Institute community to recreation, fitness, and wellness.
 
However, the pace of membership growth in this compressed period has presented some real challenges, noted below, in the management of and use of space and equipment resources overall.
 

• The majority of respondents reported exercising three times per week which leads to an average traffic flow of 900 individual visits per day; this is in addition to class and team use. In response to this increased activity, we have reallocated and reimagined some spaces to maximize access. This includes new equipment and the creation of two new weight rooms.
• In recent years, we have reduced and restricted reserved use of our facilities by outside rental groups and individuals to prioritize access for our community and our students.
• Coordinated planning has been critical. We schedule activities and facility use on a quarterly basis, in alignment with the academic terms. Once a schedule is set for our physical education classes, team practices and games, student leagues and clubs and group fitness classes, we strive to limit future changes. We appreciate your understanding when facility renovations or repairs, or student needs, requires us to make an adjustment, and we will work to enhance communication about future interruptions or changes.

 
Thank you again for your survey responses, and for your continued engagement with our facilities and programs. We remain committed to continuing to enhance the member experience and our facilities to best support use by our community. I welcome your ongoing feedback and suggestions.