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Compared to other Big Ten schools, officials say updates to IM facilities are overdue

Use of on campus facilities can boost GPAs and help build lifelong healthy habits. Some students say it's time to invest in IM fitness center renovations, and are taking action by launching social media campaigns

September 30, 2014
<p>Rendering courtesy of the University of Wisconsin</p>

Rendering courtesy of the University of Wisconsin

Photo by Rendering courtesy of the Univer | The State News

When it comes to sports, MSU has a history of being one of the best.

But when it comes to recreational and intramural sports facilities, material science and engineering junior Adam Marsh argues, “I would have to say MSU is at the bottom compared to all the other schools in the Big Ten.”

And Marsh is not alone in his thinking.

This thinking is the reason why Marsh launched his own student-led social media campaign to address the issue. Using a Facebook page, Marsh has been comparing MSU’s facilities with those of Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and other schools in the Big Ten.

And the difference, he says, is painfully obvious.

“I spend a lot of my time at (IM Sports-West), and I’ve traveled around to other schools in the Big Ten — and I just notice that our facilities are outdated compared to a lot of other universities,” Marsh said. “I know they just did the north end zone renovations (to Spartan Stadium), and they got donations and did that because of the Rose Bowl, but the administration is missing the other half. They renovated the cafeterias, but they are missing the other component to student life — recreational facilities.”

Looking to other Big Ten facilities

Just a short time ago, University of Wisconsin-Madison had a problem similar to the one currently facing MSU — outdated recreational sports facilities and a student body wanting more.

Director of Recreational Sports at University of Wisconsin-Madison John Horn said his university put the question of new recreational facilities to a student referendum.

“The idea started with students, there were a lot of people that were involved,” Horn said. “The student population and student government were really passionate about recreational sports, and out of 14,000 student votes, 12,000 voted yes.”

So the chancellor of the university launched a fundraising campaign to get the students what they wanted, Horn said. The renovations and construction the university has planned are estimated to cost a total of $223 million and will be finished in 2022. The construction includes indoor and outdoor lighted turf fields, flag football fields, an ice rink, pools and a wellness suite.

Horn said one of the main reasons University of Wisconsin-Madison decided to update the recreational sports centers was because of how exercise and healthy lifestyles affect academic performance.

“The proof is in what all sorts of studies show,” Horn said. “Our mission is to enhance the academic mission of the university, enhance the experience for students. And students involved in health and wellness do better in school, have a higher GPA and tend to get jobs right out of college.”

And although the construction and renovation will be costly and take about eight years to complete, Horn said the university has promised not to increase student membership fees by more than $108 per semester , keeping membership fees less than the equivalent Big Ten average of $145.06 . Unlike MSU, Horn’s department charges membership fees to students as part of their tuition so every student on campus has access to the facilities.

Ohio State University also underwent a series of costly renovations for student recreational facilities, the last one wrapping up in 2007 and costing a total of $140 million . Despite being one of the oldest recreational sports facilities in the nation at 101 years old, OSU offers many modern activities for students.

Among OSU’s amenities are their expansive Adventure Recreation Center, which includes two indoor turf fields and a 35 foot climbing wall and bouldering cave, among other things. A student membership costing $123 gets a student access to all facilities. Comparatively, MSU students pay $125 a semester for complete access.

“We believe that leading a life in motion through physical activity enhances the student experience at Ohio State,” Dave Isaacs, the student life spokesman for OSU, said in an email. “By offering a wide variety of programs and services we strive to meet the needs of every student.”

Trying to make a change

Associate Director of IM Sports-East Dennis Mayer has been tuned in to the concerns students have about IM facilities for the near-30 years he has worked in IM sports.

And he said it’s time to take action.

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“Comparatively speaking, if we say when we are benchmarking against other fellow Big Ten institutions, we are woefully behind,” Mayer said. “What I would like to see is that a group of leaders get together to figure out how to make that happen. I like the saying ‘Spartans Will’ because I feel if we get together and we want to make this a priority to improve, a way can be found. But we need to make it a priority.”

Mayer said it concerns him that other Big Ten universities boast amenities that include lazy rivers, rock climbing walls and water slides, while students at IM Sports-West sometimes have to endure long lines just to lift weights.

“(IM Sports-West) is not big enough, and it is antiquated. Its time has passed,” he said, adding that the pool in IM Sports-West was built in the 1950s. “The proof is there that our students want and need a better facility.”

Mayer added that IM Sports-Circle is set to celebrate its 100-year anniversary next year.

But getting the ball rolling for a new recreational sports facility is not as easy as Mayer and other IM staff would like it to be.

Associate Director of IM Sports-West Joel Eddy agreed that MSU’s facilities are older than that of some other Big Ten schools.’

“We talk about healthy lifestyles, and we want students to pick up healthy lifestyles, and students can do a lot at our recreational sports centers,” Eddy said. “But we don’t have all the newer things, like a rock climbing wall, that students would enjoy.”

As for future renovations, Eddy said there are small plans to expand the cardio area in IM Sports-West, but no major renovations have been done to the facility since 2005.

But students are still holding on to the hope of newer, better facilities.

Hospitality business senior Erin Kleibecker is a member of the MSU Outdoors Club and has been helping to spread an online petition for MSU to install a rock climbing wall in one of the IM facilities.

“It is important for MSU to have an updated recreational center because we want to promote healthy living,” she said. “Keeping students active is a big step in doing this. Many students do not have cars to go to an off-campus gym so having proper facilities on campus is important in promoting this lifestyle. ... I am a huge supporter of the rock wall because it offers a fun and alternative form of physical activity than just going to they gym.”

Kinesiology senior Sarah Birkmeier takes a class that meets in IM Sports-Circle, and said the facilities are in need of updating.

"Our facilities are pretty crappy. IM-Circle isn't that nice, it needs to be updated," she said. "It even smells old. I feel like all our money goes to revenue sports, like football and basketball. I've been to OSU and their track is beautiful, it's unbelievable."

Marketing sophomore Jenna O’Berski, who is working with Marsh to coordinate the social media campaign, said their plan to voice student concerns is just in the fledgling stages.

“I don’t think I’ll be seeing changes in my time. We are just trying to raise awareness and get people who agree with us,” O’Berski said. “Maybe we can raise money to show the facilities that’s what the student body wants, or maybe a donor will sponsor us after they see what we need. I just hope others feel the same way.”

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