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Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wentworth On Campus
Gym Facility Report
MGMT 250: Research Methods in Business
Brian Veltri, Ryan Conrad, Ryan Delgado
12/9/2010
Executive Summary:
The purpose of this study, in the short run, is to determine potential financial and
operational benefits of the Athletics Department of Wentworth Institute of Technology. The
more detailed purposes of this study are to gain knowledge of what gym facilities on campus are
used by whom, how often, overall improvement on services available, cleanliness, quality, etc.
The research was conducted in each on campus gym at Wentworth by means of a ten
question questionnaire. Tansey, Beatty, 610, and Evans Way were the subject of the study. An
open folder was placed at the sign in area of each respective gym, encouraging students to take
part in the student run survey. The group collected 70 surveys with 77% of them coming from
Tansey Gymnasium. The question was asked in order to improve quality & operations
efficiency, how likely are you to be willing to pay a $5/month fee to use this fitness center on
campus? 1 was Very Unlikely, and 5 was Very Likely. The average likelihood of the surveys
collected was 2.53, which we found to be on the unfavorable side, in accordance to our
hypothesis. Other significant findings were that of the 29 athletes surveyed, 79% of them used
Tansey, and not any other gym. Most students are aware of Beatty, with 85% of the students
knowing about it.
Some very practical and relevant suggestions did come out of the questionnaires
themselves, especially at Tansey. Suggestions include, fixing the clock that has been stuck on 3
o’clock, having cleaning stations on the walls with stocked paper towels and cleaner, fixing the
sit up machine, attaining a roman chair, and fixing the treadmills that seem to rarely work.
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….1
Purpose……………………………………………………………………………….1
Statement……………………………………………………………………………..1
Review of the Literature…………………………………………………………………….2
Research Methods…………………………………………………………………………….
Results………………………………………………………………………………………...
Summary, Conclusions & Recommendations………………………………………………
References…………………………………………………………………………………….
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………
Chapter One: Introduction
Purpose:
The purpose of this study, in the short run, is to determine potential financial and
operational benefits of the Athletics Department of Wentworth Institute of Technology. The
more detailed purposes of this study are to gain knowledge of what gym facilities on campus are
used by whom, how often, overall improvement on services available, cleanliness, quality, etc.
In addition, to look at a possible five-dollar monthly fee for usage of the gym, this would go
towards the Athletics Department to use at their discretion.
Statement:
This study will discover if students, inside and outside of the Wentworth community, will
be willing to pay a five-dollar monthly fee to use the gym equipment. This is important to study
because the Athletics Department could be losing out on a potential supplementary income.
Even if Wentworth students are not charged the fee, other Colleges of the Fenway students may
be charged. This can bring in extra money that can go towards several different areas.
After looking at different areas of the Athletics Department, such as athlete support,
facilities, and the program as a whole, the decision was to merge all of the ideas into one
proficient study. With the permission of Lee Conrad, Director of the Athletics Department, this
study will be further pursued, and surveys will be distributed. Data will be gathered that will
allow an explanation, stating that a low monthly fee of five dollars is convenient and affordable
to students and faculty, as well as beneficial for the Athletics Department. In addition to
possibly having one gym, specifically the Tansey gym, designated to WIT athletes, who tend to
use the gym several times a week. Therefore not being disturbed, or their workouts prevented or
postponed due to other non-athletes using the equipment when they have a first need basis.
Assuming that all surveys are received, the ability to derive data and express in various
ways will be completed. The benefits the Athletics Department can receive will be present
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
Doing a research topic on gym facilities on a college campus that is not done often, and
rarely published for the public to see. After extensive group research, documents and
sites that discussed on campus gym facilities we a rarity. Duke University was the best
literature found and implemented in the process. The university charges students a flat
$100 dollars per semester. The money (since Duke Athletics are in well hands with
money) was used in the student activates sector. The money would be used in campus
events and such.
An annotated bibliography was complied of five (5) sources. All sources
contributed to group work and compilation of survey and methods. A baseball player and
selected student were interviewed to to get a sense of the ideas and indications of the
survey. A survey of a student-athlete, and a non-athlete was then conducted.
Interview questions:
How often do you use the gym?
Athlete: “6 days a week, usually at night”
Student: “A couple of times a week, not a lot though
Your thoughts about paying $5/month for non-athletes to use the facilities?
Athlete: “If it goes to athletics I’m all for it”
Student: “$5 a month is probably as high as it should go if anything”
Campus Map of Gyms Circled
Chapter Three: Research Methods
The methods of gathering information Leaving survey at each gym on campus Hypothesis.
To justify if students will pay for gym and facility usage. Athletes/Non-athletes were surveyed.
Collect surveys weekly Quantitative analysis of all questions. People that don’t step foot in gym
will not be contacted to do survey
A ten-question survey was placed in each on campus gym at Tansey, Beatty, 610, and Evans
Way respectively. The survey is going to be a simple random survey, and will be collected by
placing folders at each sign in spot at every gym. The folder will instruct the students that the
survey is completely voluntary and strictly for research purposes only.
The hypothesis derived was that the students would not want to pay a $5 per month fee, and
have it go to anything but them. Students think they pay too much in tuition to begin with, so
adding money for something like a gym, wouldn’t go over so well. As a part of the survey the
group hopes to attain ideas, suggestions, and thoughts on how to improve each gym, specifically
Tansey.
Each survey was completed by gym users only, as they would be able to provide the best
first hand input. Most of th
Chapter 4: The Results
With seventy surveys collected during the study, there was a lot of information and
numbers to go through. Crunching the numbers was very time consuming and took a lot of
effort. It was interesting to read through the surveys and look at what people thought about it,
how they answered and the comments that were left. Some results where surprising to see, while
other results were expected.
The first question of the survey asked for the person taking the survey to state their
gender. Out of the seventy people surveyed, fifty-two were male, and eighteen were female,
meaning 74% were male and 26% were female (Figure 1.1). However, considering that eleven
of the surveyors were from another school (which will be discussed later) those eleven people
were subtracted from the seventy to get a percentage of people who were surveyed at
Wentworth. Three males and eight females were taken away from their respected group and a
new number was created. That number is forty-nine males and ten females. When converted
into a percentage, those numbers are 83% male and 17% female. The second set of percentages,
based on Wentworth students, is almost right on target with
the percentage of males and females of the entire school.
The second question asked for the surveyor to state
what year they are in school. They were able to choose from freshman, sophomore, junior,
senior, 5th year/graduate, faculty or other. Nine people responded with freshman, twenty-four
sophomores, eighteen juniors, fifteen seniors, two
5th year/graduates and two faculty. When these
numbers are divided by the total number of
surveys, the overall percentage is derived.
Freshman made up 12.9% of the surveys, sophomores were 34.3%, juniors 25.7%, seniors
21.4%, and 5th year/graduates and faculty both had 2.8% (Figrue 1.2). It is obvious to see that
the sophomores had the biggest representation is held by the sophomores. These numbers are not
Figure 1.1
Figure 1.2
consistent with the percentage of students that attend Wentworth. Those numbers are spread out
a little bit more evenly.
Question three asked for which school the person taking the survey is affiliated with.
Although the gyms are open to all six schools of the Colleges of the Fenway students, only two
schools were represented; Wentworth and Massachusetts
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Wentworth
accounted for 84% of the total surveys and MCPHS
(Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) accounted for 16% of the surveys.
Meaning that 59 surveys were from Wentworth and only 11 from MCPHS (Figure 1.3).
Question four asked if the surveyor was a Wentworth athlete, and if they chose yes, then
to specify the sport that they play for. Out of the seventy surveys,
the majority was not of a Wentworth athlete, 41 to be exact. On the
other hand, athlete surveys numbered 29. About 59% were non-
athletes and 41% were athletes (Figure 1.4). For the people who are Wentworth athletes, the
team sports that were represented were men’s hockey, men’s baseball, men’s and women’s
lacrosse, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s rugby and women’s
tennis.
The fifth question asked how many times a week that person used a gym facility. The
options were either one to two times, three to four times, or five
to seven times a week. Fifteen people work out one to two times
a week, thirty people work out three to four times a week,
and twenty people work out about five to seven times a week. By proportion, these numbers are
Figure 1.3
Figure 1.4
Figure 1.5
21%, 43% and 29% respectively (Figure 1.5). The majority of the people surveyed use a gym
facility about three to four times a week.
Question six asked for each gym listed, to be circled if that person was aware of that
gym. Awareness of the gym could vary from the person knowing that it simply exists, to that
person actually using that gym in the past. The four gyms that are on
campus and that were listed were Tansey Gym in Tansey Gymnasium, Beatty Gym in Beatty
Hall, the fitness center located on the fifth floor of 610 Residence Hall, and the fitness center
located in Evansway/Tudbury Residence Halls. For Tansey, fifty-four people were familiar with
a that gym, fifty-nine for Beatty, thirty for 610 and fifteen for Evansway/Tudbury. Therefore,
77% of people know of Tansey, 84% know of Beatty, 43% know of 610 and 21% know of
Evansway/Tudbury (Figure 1.6).
Question seven asked the surveyor to rate the gym they were
in, or to choose a particular gym and rate it on five different
topics on a scale of one to five, one being poor and five being great.
The five topics were quality, equipment, cleanliness, services
available, and overall satisfaction. Out of the seventy surveys, the average rating for gym quality
was a 2.96, average equipment rating was a 2.77, average cleanliness rating of 3.38, average
available services rating of 2.79 and an average overall satisfaction rating of 2.99 (Figure 1.7).
On a percentage scale, quality was a 59%, equipment was a 55%, cleanliness was a 68%,
services available was a 56% and satisfaction was a 60%. These ratings are relatively low when
they are based on a 100% scale.
The eighth question asked the surveyor to rate their likeliness to pay a five-dollar a month
fee to potentially improve quality and operations efficiency. They were able to rate their
Figure 1.6
Figure 1.7
Figure 1.8
likeliness on a scale of one to five, one being very unlikely and five being very likely. The
average likeliness was a 2.53, or a 50.6% likeliness to pay five dollars a month, leading to a
conclusion that most students are somewhat unlikely to pay a fee to use the gym facilities (Figure
1.8).
Questions nine and ten were open-ended questions that allowed the surveyor to add their
input on the survey and the ideas behind it. Question nine offered the chance to express what
that person would like to see the five dollars a month go to, or what they think it will go to, while
question ten offered for any other comments. A vast array of answers were given for question
nine. But the most popular answers were for more equipment, free weights, the various
Wentworth sports teams, funding a Wentworth football team, an athlete only gym, stair climber,
stationary bikes, elliptical, trainers, extended hours and a bigger, cleaner and more open space.
Comments for question ten were very interesting. Some
highlighted comments are as follows: “There are too many
people. There should be an athlete only gym,” “The gym is
just not sufficient to serve 3 schools period. It is too small
and has too little equipment. Exercise is an integral part to many students’ lives and our schools
do not recognize or respect that face to make our experience better,” “Every time I try to use the
gym some random person is using the equipment,” “2 treadmills have been broken for the past 2
months,” “Tansey gym needs to have stretching posters like Beatty gym has.”
Going beyond the simple questions and relating a few together to find out more
information that may support some of the comments was another part of the results. Looking at
the number of athletes and non-athletes that use each gym was one of those
Figure 1.10
Figure 1.9
parts. Out of the twenty-nine athletes, twenty-three of them use Tansey, none use Beatty, five
use 610 and only one uses Evansway. Overall, almost 80% of athletes us Tansey gym (Figrue
1.9), and 87% of the athletes that use Tansey, use it more then three days a week, making it the
athlete workout hot-spot on campus (Figure 1.10). On the other hand, only 3% of the athletes
surveyed use Evansway/Tudbury as their workout facility. Not to mention only 3% of the
surveys came from that gym.
It seems as though a conclusion can be made that the Evansway/Tudbury gym is the least
active in regards to the number of students, both athletes and non-athletes that use the gym.
Perhaps the Athletics Department can save some money from emptying out that facility, putting
the equipment where it is needed, and opening up the space for other uses.
Other facts that stood out from the lot were that the number of males and females
surveyed from Wentworth were almost right on target with the percentage of men and women
that attend the school; only about 3% difference between the survey numbers and the school
numbers (Figure 1.11). Most non-athletes use Beatty gym for their workouts, about 46%.
Awareness of Beatty gym is the highest, about 84%. And the
likelihood of students paying five dollars a month is less then 50%
favorable, in summary.
All in all, the average person who filled out a survey was this: a male who attends
Wentworth, is a Sophomore, works out three to four times a week, who is a non-athlete, and who
works out at Beatty gym.
References:
Figure 1.11
Berkowitz, Steve. USA Today, “How student fees boost college sports amid rising budgets.”
USA Today, Gannett Co. Inc. September 19, 2010. 29 September 2010.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2010-09-21-student-fees-boost-college-
sports_N.htm
Griggs, Mary Beth. The Tufts Daily, “Students head off campus to get fit.” College Media
Network. April 22, 2010. 29 September 2010. http://www.tuftsdaily.com/students-head-
off-campus-to-get-fit-1.2236700
From this article based out of Tufts University, information regarding a fee to use the fitness
facility is explained. Imposing a fee to a college’s gym may be a deterrent in some ways,
but in more ways, it can be an incentive. Even if someone wants to use a gym only once in
a month, they will still have to pay the fee. Knowing that people are paying to use the
facility, they may be more inclined to get their money worth for the extremely low cost,
seeing it as a great deal.
Lamela, Natalie. The Chronicle, “Gym fees deter few Duke employees.” The Chronicle.
October 11, 2001. 29 September 2010. http://dukechronicle.com/article/gym-fees-deter-
few-duke-employees
Perez, Erica. California Watch, “NCAA report shows more college athletic programs losing
money.” California Watch, PNGV.com. August 19, 2010. 29 September 2010.
http://californiawatch.org/watchblog/ncaa-report-shows-more-college-athletic-programs-
losing-money-1-234
Even though this article focuses mainly on division I sports, it still provides basic
information that embraces the majority of all athletic department’s current situation. It
explains that more often then not, college athletic departments are losing money, regardless
of the amount. This supports our cause to create a minimal fee to use the services of the
gyms on campus. The money can then go towards the athletic department to help with
costs.
Singh, Mike. Ezine Articles, “Why should college students exercise?” EnzineArticles. June 8,
2006. 29 September 2010. http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Should-College-Students-
Exercise?&id=215974