A campaign for the construction of a “Sports, Fitness, and Wellness Center” is underway amongst administration. This would be an athletic facility on campus with an indoor track, expanded workout facility, indoor field, rooms for fitness classes, basketball courts and more. The question is whether or not students feel that the money obtained from the 4.4 percent tuition increase should be allocated to the construction of this fitness center.
According to David Beidleman, the vice president for Institutional Advancement and Community Relations, this project is still very much in the beginning stages and has not been finalized. “We are looking to set the stage for a comprehensive campaign,” Beidleman said. “We have established a committee, we are conducting screenings and we are searching for donors that have the capacity to support the College.”
Richard Bailey, vice president for finance, said the construction of a field house has made no current influence on the tuition increase. However, if a field house is constructed, there is a good possibility that the annual fees to operate it would be funded in some ways by the students. “Coming out of this extended recession period, we are trying to think about how we can do more to take care of existing space, as well as add to it, all without taking away from the academic program,” Bailey said.
Students have mixed opinions on this subject. Every student athlete I spoke with is in support of the construction of a field house on campus for many reasons. Shelby Bruno, a junior lacrosse player, feels that student athletes and those that participate in athletic activities make up such a large amount of the student body that they fund a significant amount of the tuition increase. “We don’t have the facilities that our competitors have,” Bruno said. First-year members of the track team Graeme Kennedy and Jasmine Boyle supported that statement as well. “That was one of the things that I liked about Susquehanna. I think we lose more athletes when they see we don’t have a field house like other colleges do,” Boyle said. All of the players discussed having to cancel practices because of weather and the fact that they feel they can get behind other teams.
Not everyone in the Etown community supports funding this building. Many feel that if tuition is increased, those funds should be dedicated to the construction of facilities that the entire student body would use. “I know I won’t use it,” first-year Casey Day said. Many feel that there are renovations that should take place before constructing an entirely new facility. First-year Bonnie Lisk and senior Jeroen Hooijboer both said that they feel that projects such as expanding the very crowded cafeteria that everyone uses should prevail over the construction of new buildings. Another argument is that the College’s residence halls are not in proper condition and that money should be allocated to that before anything else.
Those in favor of funding the fitness center feel that the majority of the student body would utilize it. Intramural sports, E-Fit and The Body Shop are three fitness programs on campus that would be able to significantly expand with the existence of a field house. According to data obtained by the Office of Student Activities, last year those programs had collectively over 1,400 unique users, out of a campus consisting of 1,900 students. “It would definitely alleviate scheduling issues between all the athletics and intramural sports that use the gym,” sophomore Connor Perry said. “Although the rise in tuition for the second year in a row is very upsetting to all of the students, if the school has to do something with those funds I really think a field house would be a good choice,” sophomore Julie Creveling stated.
As students, we each individually discover what we find to be most important to our experience here at Etown. Some students believe that fitness directly affects their education. “Exercising actually helps me on an educational level because it relieves stress and allows me to use up extra energy so that I focus on studying,” sophomore Luke Yanek said. Other students do not see this as a priority.
I find that the most important element of this concept to reflect upon is first what you value as a student and how much those values motivate you to take action. This particular project is still being formulated, as are many other projects on campus. If you believe very strongly in the effect of fitness and wellness on campus, become involved in the process. If you believe that there are other projects on campus that could better benefit the College community, make your beliefs heard. Recently the Board of Trustees was on campus observing classes and listening to proposals about projects such as this.
The College stands for student engagement in this tight-knit community, and I encourage you to become involved. Whether it is the construction of a fitness center or the renovations of a residence hall, your opinion can make a difference. There is no better advocate for what is best for the student body than the student body itself.