On Nov. 10, 2011, the Recreation Center Committee held its last meeting for the semester. Representatives from Student Government Association, Resident Hall Association, Student Activities Council, Black Student Union, and various Greek organizations were present for the meeting to discuss the progress on the Recreation Center.
“We’re a bit off schedule, but we are going to take a step back and see what we need to do,” Steve Domenick, Project Manager, Department of Facilities Design and Construction said. “We still plan for the opening to be in the fall of 2012.”
As students walk by, they will begin to notice the rapid progress on the Recreation Center. The next goal for this semester is making the center fully enclosed for the cold weather and putting temporary heat inside.
The Wellness Wall was also discussed and student leaders were shown an example of what the Wellness Wall will look like once it is completed. Last year, students were given a survey to pick the five words they wanted represented on the Wellness Wall such as “respect,” “success,” and “dedication.” The climbing wall was also a main focus point of the meeting.
“We’ve tried to make it look more natural,” Mina Lele, Senior Interior Designer, Department of Facilities Design and Construction said. The rock climbing wall is going to be hand painted and customized and will be a 40-foot high wall for students to rock climb on. The wall will feature both rough and smooth surfaces, and a bouldering section.
“We hope to get a lot of use out of it,” Domenick said. There will be a variety of skill levels for students to engage in the rock climbing wall. There will be holders every square foot and the hand holds will be color coordinated according to skill. One student suggested making the hand holders purple, gold, and white to bring out school spirit.
The Feature Wall will be another focus point of the Recreation Center. “It will be a nice piece to the building,” Diane DeVestern, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, said.
The Feature Wall will have seven designed panels with lights behind them. The panels are made from natural and sustainable material. The Feature Wall will be located near the Fitness Center and was described as being “a lot of activity in a vertical place.”
Students were shown examples of what the panels would look like. DeVestern described the wall as being “very Zen-like.”
The issue regarding the security of belongings in the cubby-holes was brought up again.
Students at the meeting brought up the idea of having a key rental system for those who want to lock up their belongings in the cubby holes. Cubby holes will be located near the fitness center. Students can put their belongings inside of them; however, the cubby holes will not be in direct eyesight of students who are working out.
One representative from RHA suggested that the cubby holes at least have doors on them to prevent anyone from stealing items. “It would be more noticeable to see someone opening all of these doors than someone just pacing back and forth and taking items at random.”
There was big concern over having WCU school colors represented in the building. Students wanted the color purple to be more apparent in the design of the building.
“That is the one thing you remember when you leave a campus; how proud they are. WCU is getting to a point where we are proud of our school,” said one representative.
Students are encouraged to visit the Recreation Center website to see what the building will involve.
For more information, go to http://www.wcupa.edu/studentrecreationcenter.
Angela Thomas is a fourth-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at AT683005@wcupa.edu.