The Student Services Finance Committee approved Monday night more than $1.5 million in segregated fees to be allocated to the Recreational Sports budget for use on the Natatorium and the South East Recreational Facility.

Among other things, the money the SSFC approved will go to new fitness equipment, plasma televisions, and the development of new fitness clinics, leaving many students wondering if it’s all worth it.

“I go here all the time,” said University of Wisconsin senior Therese Blount as she sat on an exercise bike during her daily afternoon workout at the Nat. “It’s an older building, but I think it has more to offer. It’s less busy.”

The Nat offers a swimming pool, four gymnasiums, six racquetball courts, weight, circuit training and exercise rooms. It also offers group workouts in deep-water fitness, Powerflow, cycling, fitness boxing, total body fitness, and step aerobics.

The Nat facility also boasts top-of-the-line machines, including elliptical, treadmills, cycles, Stairmasters, Nordic Tracs, rowers and multi-station weight machines.

The SERF has the same options open to its patrons, but it has a more modern look and generally longer hours.

“No one goes [to the Nat] unless they live in the Lakeshore dorms,” said UW sophomore Shane Miller as he lifted weights during his “semi-daily” workout at the SERF. “There are more people here. I like meeting people and talking to people when I’m working out.”

An impromptu headcount of the number of people in the weight rooms at the two facilities, taken within an hour of each other, showed almost twice as many people in the SERF.

UW Recreational Sports director Dale Carruthers said he doubts residents of the Lakeshore dorms are the only people to frequent the Nat.

“Obviously, SERF is conducive to people living in Ogg. The SERF does have some popular programs,” Carruthers said. “But location is an important factor for both locations.”

Carruthers said that while UW students living in the dorms may work out primarily at the facility closest to their residence hall, there is “crossover from the other dorms.”

“We do have more users at SERF,” Carruthers said. “But the SERF isn’t necessarily better. It’s not necessarily the flagship.”

The budget Carruthers passed through the SSFC, after facing the scrutiny of the Associated Students of Madison, will add replacement exercise equipment to both facilities.

“We get about three years of hard use out of most of our equipment,” said Accounting Director Terry Virlee at a previous SSFC meeting.

The money will also pay for the installation of 42-inch plasma television screens that will be able to be viewed from all angles in the exercise room and in harsh sunlight.

Carruthers seemed most enthusiastic about a program built around a popular concept at the UW: education.

“We’re going to develop clinics with weight training and our fitness rooms,” Carruthers said. The clinics will work to educate users about the weight rooms and introduce them to equipment and techniques.

“Some people feel a little intimidated by the weight room,” Carruthers said. “We’re going to work with them on the various machines and make it a little less painful for them.”