A view from above of the main gym on Oct. 16, 2015, at the North Campus Recreation Building on 2375 Hubbard Road in Ann Arbor. This facility was completed in 1976 and will undergo a renovation beginning in 2020.
The State News has heard what MSU students and some faculty have to say about the state of our Intramural Sports Facilities, and well... It's not good. So, we're packing up our reporter and sending him to all the Big Ten schools we can, with the hope of answering one lingering question: Are MSU's IM facilities really as bad as students say they are?
On our first stop, we visit our old rivals at the University of Michigan.
In recent years, University of Michigan students have faced a similar dilemma to those at MSU — having to exercise in outdated, cramped intramural facilities.
Such is the case at MSU, each of U-M’s three workout centers are in desperate need of renovation.
U-M's Director of Recreational Sports Jeff Straw said U-M had one of the first programs for recreational sports in the country. Naturally, some of the centers are increasingly becoming outdated.
Like MSU, Straw said, U-M hovers near the bottom of the Big Ten in regards to the quality and modernity of its equipment and facilities. Furthermore, U-M also ranks among the worst in the conference for student wellness in average “cost per student,” he said.
But here's where the two schools stand in the sharpest contrast:
U-M students campaigned for better recreational sports facilities, and will get them, along with a host of renovations.
Meanwhile, back in East Lansing, much of students' complaints have fell on deaf ears.
From coalition to construction
In 2013, a coalition of U-M students called the “Students Building a Better Michigan” banded together and lobbied for improvements to the student wellness centers.
President of Students for Building a Better Michigan, Francesco Munaco, said students addressed the U-M Board of Regents after conducting surveys and focus groups with students, to discuss the state of U-M's facilities relative to other Big Ten schools.
Like MSU, Munaco said, U-M’s facilities are aging and students are “willing to pay a piece of the pie.”
After the approval of the project in 2013, Munaco noted the organization has remained involved in the project throughout its construction to ensure all student needs are met.
“The university needs these renovations to happen to remain loyal to the leaders and best image,” Munaco said.
Straw said the idea of an update to the intramural facilities had been in the works, but student involvement pushed administrators to take it seriously. “It has been a staff perspective to update the facilities for a long time,” Straw said, “it was really kickstarted when the students got involved, they were the voice.”
Straw paid mention to an intensive interview process that the University Architectural Engineering Cost Department conducted with students to gain a consensus of what 21st century students wanted out of their new facilities.
Noticing a societal trend towards “bigger fitness and wellness” in the interviews, Straw said, the goal became to increase space in order to make the facilities more versatile, capable of holding more students and space for a multitude of workouts.
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In addition to modernized equipment and more spacious facilities, there will even be special consideration for students who may not be as confident about their bodies. Separate areas will be designated for those who wish to work out in private and avoid potentially being judged by onlookers.
Until then, Straw said the University is abiding by student trends and wishes now, even before the renovations are half complete.
The IM facility on Central Campus at U-M, the last facility to be updated, is “extremely condensed” and even has “limited infrastructure” to be conducive for students. Straw said the Central facility cannot sustain student wellness while it waits its turn to be updated.
Similar to IM Sports-West at MSU, U-M students raised concerns about crowding amongst weights and machines with students trying to do core workouts.
So, the university purchased all new equipment, converted old classrooms and unused racquetball courts into rooms for cardio in order to coincide with student wishes for more space for general wellness, Straw said.
The project will primarily be funded by student fees for memberships, along with help from U-M's general fund and IM facility revenue, Straw said.
It is $65 for a student membership at U-M. MSU has a similar cost structure, but with no planned renovations in sight.
Each of the three facilities at U-M will undergo improvements within the next five years with the final completion date set for 2021, with one recreational sports facility currently undergoing renovation.
Stay tuned next week when our reporter sets out to Ohio State University to see what the Buckeyes have when it comes to recreational sports facilities. Have questions you want us to ask, or an opinion to add to this story? Let us know in the comments below.
