SAN MARCOS — Students at Cal State San Marcos have struck down a referendum proposing a major increase in student recreation fees to fund a new wellness and recreation center on campus.
More than 50 student ambassadors from Campus Recreation and Associated Students Incorporated led the “Be Well. Be You.” referendum campaign, which proposed raising students’ per-semester recreation fees from $35 to $265 starting in 2025 with a 3% annual increase.
The increased fees would fund the lease of a 60,000-square-foot space next to The Quad along Barham Drive for the new Wellness and Recreation Center, the purchase of new furniture and equipment, staff hiring and training, and the development of branding and materials.
Around 1,300 students, or 9.7% of the student population, participated in the three-day referendum vote in early April. The university confirmed Monday that just under 60% voted against it, and 38.6% voted in favor, causing the proposal to fail.
“While this wasn’t the outcome some students were hoping for, I am happy that our students exercised their right to vote and that their voices were part of this process,” said Viridiana Diaz, Vice President for Student Affairs at Cal State San Marcos.
Proponents of the referendum emphasized that it would be the first of its kind in the California State University system, meeting the need for more fitness and wellness opportunities that students have pushed for repeatedly over the past decade.
However, arguments against the referendum contended that the $230 fee increase was simply unaffordable for most students, many of whom are on financial aid, especially with tuition costs increasing.
According to the university, the center, which is proposed to open in 2026, would provide student-oriented spaces and services promoting “the eight dimensions of wellness” (emotional, physical, social, spiritual, financial, intellectual, environmental and occupational).
This would include dedicated wellness areas with lounge seating and massage chairs, a rooftop deck with a turf field, two full-sized indoor courts with a spectator viewing area, multipurpose rooms for Zumba, yoga, Pilates, meditation and other activities, esports facilities, and an outdoor courtyard with hammocks.
Plans also proposed a 10,000-square-foot fitness equipment area, which would be more than triple the size of the one in Clarke Field House, the current location of recreation and fitness programming at Cal State San Marcos, which also offers a half-court gym, a full-sized outdoor basketball court, and a sand volleyball court.
The Be Well. Be You. campaign and the Campus Recreation Department did not respond to requests for comment from The Coast News about the referendum results.
