Spring Break
Don't keep gym complaints to yourselves
Megan Lynch
Issue date: 2/4/09 Section: Commentary
In case you haven't noticed, UConn has a plan in the works for a new recreational center. Every student who has ever waited for a treadmill in the current Student Recreation Facility knows we desperately need a new one. Any type of sports team (intramural, club, etc.) who has to fight for space should also readily agree. However, with all the recent budget cuts and the necessity for increased frugality, some may question the timing of this plan.
UConn spokeswoman Karen Grava told The Daily Campus last Thursday that the project, which is on a very slow schedule, will be funded by student fees and philanthropy. There are also no immediate funds to begin work on the building.
This should hopefully assure students that this project is taking into consideration the budget cuts the university is facing. However, there is much planning to do at these early stages to see what students would expect from a new facility.
Patti Bostic, the executive director of Recreational Services, expressed what she believes to be the shortcomings of the current center, including the long lines, the lack of fields for intramurals and the overall lack of space.
While UConn's gym is in good shape, the last time it was renovated was 10 years ago and that work was done "within the same walls," Bostic said. In addition, the placement of the pool poses a huge issue when it comes to expanding - all the work has been done around the pool. The only way to solve these problems is by adding a new facility.
The new building also hopes to have fields for intramural and club sports to play on without having to share with the Athletics Department. Two students on the Lady Eagles flag football team shared their reasons why they feel that intramural sports need a field.
"The gym is always crowded, and there is hardly any room to practice when we need it," said Ashley Wallace, a 4th-semester pre-teaching major. "It is not like we could make a reservation to use some space because the gym is in such high demand."
UConn spokeswoman Karen Grava told The Daily Campus last Thursday that the project, which is on a very slow schedule, will be funded by student fees and philanthropy. There are also no immediate funds to begin work on the building.
This should hopefully assure students that this project is taking into consideration the budget cuts the university is facing. However, there is much planning to do at these early stages to see what students would expect from a new facility.
Patti Bostic, the executive director of Recreational Services, expressed what she believes to be the shortcomings of the current center, including the long lines, the lack of fields for intramurals and the overall lack of space.
While UConn's gym is in good shape, the last time it was renovated was 10 years ago and that work was done "within the same walls," Bostic said. In addition, the placement of the pool poses a huge issue when it comes to expanding - all the work has been done around the pool. The only way to solve these problems is by adding a new facility.
The new building also hopes to have fields for intramural and club sports to play on without having to share with the Athletics Department. Two students on the Lady Eagles flag football team shared their reasons why they feel that intramural sports need a field.
"The gym is always crowded, and there is hardly any room to practice when we need it," said Ashley Wallace, a 4th-semester pre-teaching major. "It is not like we could make a reservation to use some space because the gym is in such high demand."
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