SGA votes in favor of new recreation center
UHCL’s enrollment has grown to more than 8,000 students and as a result the campus may be expanding as well.
On Nov. 4, the Student Government Association passed the Recreation and Wellness Resolution with 41 in favor, four against and two in abstention for the creation of a student fee-based recreation and wellness center building.
“We’re not saying that we want to build anything in particular for the recreation center at this point,” said Julie Garner, president of SGA. “All we’re saying is that students are interested in a rec center.”
The resolution, which was introduced Oct. 21 by the Recreation and Wellness Committee, states that the development of a recreation and wellness center building would accommodate university growth, improve health and wellness for student life, and enhance the student academic experience.
UHCL’s student body grew by 6 percent this semester, and the Student Services Classroom Building (SSCB) weight room, formerly known as the Fitness Zone, felt the surge.
“From a numbers standpoint, the weight room averages about 1,208 visits a day,” said Tabitha Tipton, assistant director of Student Life. “Along with the average daily visits increasing, the numbers for each semester are continuing to increase. Just from this semester alone there has been a steady increase of about 20 percent when compared to last year.”
Devon Hughes, fitness and human performance major, works for Campus Recreation in the weight room and has seen the occasional traffic jam from fitness and human performance classes coming in and students wanting to workout at the same time.
“Our facility now is great and serves its purpose very well, but it does lack some equipment and space that many students, faculty and alumni would benefit from,” Hughes said. “There are days when classes come in from the FHP program and there isn’t much room for non-FHP students to work out. Some days our cardio machines are taken for some time by people working out and people are left waiting. The same goes for the free weights and Olympic platforms.”
Initial plans for the recreation and wellness center building estimate a size of 70,000 square-feet, which is about the size of one floor of the SSCB.
“The added space of a new building would definitely allow for more equipment and user-friendly space for working out, warming up and stretching,” Hughes said. “With added equipment and space, there would be a lot more availability for machines and weights for everyone without the congestion. I think that if more space and equipment was available many students who go to gyms elsewhere would be more likely to use the school gym.”
In addition, the proposed building would provide space to add new programs aimed at increasing health awareness and improving the overall well-being of students.
“The new recreation and wellness center would provide the students an opportunity to enjoy the facility and open recreation,” Tipton said. “From a programming aspect, a new building would allow Campus Recreation to expand offerings to include fitness classes, boot-camp style training sessions, and even indoor recreational events like basketball or volleyball.”
The next step for the resolution is to go before the University Council. If it passes there, it will go to the Texas Legislature with an anticipated referendum in the fall of 2015.
“At this point it was just presented to the University Council, and there may be a vote at our next meeting,” Garner said.
