Thirty years ago, recreation was decidedly low-tech. Computer technology was in its infancy. And students weren't as body-conscious as they are nowadays. The most "high-tech" of college workout facilities sported stationary weight machines, rowing machines, and free weights.
Today, it's a much different story. Students expect their universities to provide state-of-the-art equipment to help them in the pursuit of fitness: elliptical cross trainers, exercise steppers, and ergometer bikes, to name a few.