"In 2015, Duke stopped covering gym fees for students in the first
five years of their PhD program." says Alex DeForge, fourth-year PhD student in Philosophy.
Because of rising health care premiums,
the Graduate School decided it would no longer cover fees for students
after their third year. This decision ended a commitment Duke had made
to its students, and it needs to be reversed.
The Duke Graduate
Students Union is calling on Duke to reinstate coverage of gym fees for
doctoral students in the fourth and fifth years. We also ask that the
University publicly confirm that it will cover these fees for the entire
time a student is at Duke. Failing to provide access to gym facilities
undermines Duke’s support for its graduate students, and is inconsistent
with the University’s mission.
On Thursday, the union hosted free exercise classes on Abele Quad to
raise awareness about the importance of gym access to grad student life.
Regular exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. By
requiring graduate students to pay for gym access out of pocket, the
university has made it unnecessarily difficult for students to access a
crucial resource for their health. Exercise is important not only for
students’ physical health, but also for their mental and emotional
well-being. Gym services are therefore crucial to the quality of life of
students who teach and research for the University.
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Source: Duke Chronicle