COVID-19 restrictions are lifting and the need for limiting capacity and accommodations is becoming more lenient. Changes at the Recreation Center are following this trend. However, precautions are still in place to ensure the safety of all students. 

Students have been able to utilize and enjoy the Recreation Center once again and have noticed the changes.

Sophomore Gia Arellano said, “You could almost never get to the things that you wanted to get to. Half to three quarters of the machines were closed, and you couldn’t use them for COVID reasons. But this year is definitely better now that more of the machines are open and more people can be in the weight room at a time.” 

Arellano was on campus last year as well. She described struggling with visiting the Recreation Center because of closed off spaces and reservations. But with the changes made within the Recreation Center this year, those concerns have been resolved. 

This change has been noticed by staff at the Recreation Center as well.

The Recreation Center’s Morgan Fry said that intramural and sport clubs are opening back up along with many more opportunities for students. 

“We’ve been having our volleyball nets open and we have ping pong, badminton, anything you could really want,” Fry said. “Our boxing is also open but unfortunately we aren’t renting out our boxing gloves anymore because they’re just too hard for us to disinfect with COVID and everything. But people can purchase them behind the desk if they want to.” 

The Recreation Center is opening up but there are still practices in use to ensure the safety of students. 

“We do have spray bottles that we encourage everyone to use before and after they use the machines,” Fry said. “But not everyone does that so we have floor staff who walk around and make sure everyone’s mask is above their nose, and wipe down the equipment after everyone uses it just to make sure it’s clean.”

Both Fry and Arellano mentioned a word of encouragement for those who may be hesitant to utilize the Recreation Center in their interviews. Both spoke on the environment in the facilities being very positive and that everyone at the Recreation Center is at a different place in their fitness journey and is there to focus on themselves.