Rice needs to fix rec center, not ignore it

By Christine Pao     2/5/09 6:00pm

As someone who makes use of the Autry Recreation Center often, I can't help but notice the deteriorating state of the facility. Conditions at the Rec Center have always been lackluster, but after a section was closed off due to the construction of the Tudor Fieldhouse and Youngkin Center, we lost practically half of Autry, including the old weight room, and consequently a lot of our exercise opportunities were cut short. Sadly, I am reminded of this every time I follow the ominous signs leading to the temporary entrance, and upon entering, I am greeted with Autry's currently dismal conditions.On more than one occasion, I have journeyed across campus only to find that all of the cardio machines are already in use. As a result I am forced to wait in the corner, staring down the users of each machine in hopes that someone will finish in a reasonable amount of time - yet several times, I have waited upwards of 20 minutes for a cardio machine to free up. That's not really a long enough time to incite me into an angry protest, but it is a considerable block of time that I could be using to do more productive things. Let's face it: Nobody wants to wait in line for exercise, an activity that arguably many people view as a tedious responsibility. If I'm willing to make the ridiculously long, perilous trek from Martel all the way to Autry, I expect to be able to get a decent workout without delay.

Yet despite the fact that we already lack enough machines to accommodate the student body, many of them constantly malfunction. The last time I checked, two of the five treadmills were out of order, and had been so for at least a couple of weeks. I'm not sure what causes the machines to break down, perhaps it's the doing of some careless Rec Center users, but I would like to see them fixed, and I'm wondering why it's taking so long.

And it's not just the cardio room that's flawed: Although I am not an avid swimmer myself, I have heard countless complaints from my fellow students that the indoor swimming pool currently available to us is, well, never available. It seems like half the time, the pool is closed to recreational swimming, seeing as it's always occupied for swimming classes, water polo, and swim team practice or Lifetime Physical Activity Program classes. While I wholeheartedly support the pool being used for these activities, it's hard for students who want to swim for recreation or exercise to find a time slot when the pool is open to fit within their schedules.

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These are all reasons why I am more than thrilled for the opening the new David and Barbara Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center. While Autry's current state is discouraging, the new rec center's features sound quite promising. With two new outdoor pools, one for competition and one for recreation, tons of new indoor and outdoor courts, and weight and cardio rooms, I am hoping that the new Rec Center will be able to give us what Autry cannot.

But again a problem with time arises, since the new Rec Center is on schedule to open this coming fall. What are we going to do until then? Continue enduring the poor conditions at Autry? Wait until next fall to restart our exercise routines? Neither of these options makes sense. What we need to do, in spite of the lovely prospects of a new Rec Center, is to begin improving Autry now. Besides, after the new Rec Center opens, Autry will still be in use by the varsity athletes. We are throwing all of our focus onto the construction of the new Rec Center and not paying enough attention to the old one when it really needs it.

In order to correct the problems that Autry is facing, we don't need to completely renovate the facility - A few additional machines in the cardio room would better accommodate the student body; speedier repairs would ensure more equipment is available at any given time; and implementing more time slots for recreational swimming would solve the availability issue. If Rice wants its students to lead healthy, balanced lives, it needs to provide them with adequate, readily-available exercise facilities, and, while building an entirely new Rec Center is commendable, renovating the old Rec Center is just as important.

Christine Pao is a Martel College freshman.

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