After more than three weeks since the grand opening of the Student Recreation Center, wait times have decreased and the long lines have subsided.
“The turnout has been huge,” said Ray Longerich, fitness and wellness assistant at the center. “Lots of people have been coming in left and right.”
Chris Rodriguez, a 25-year-old microbiology major, had to wait up to 20 minutes in line before using the facility earlier on in the semester. Now, he usually waits no more than five minutes to get in.
Fitness assistant Caleb Pate said the lengthy lines were mostly due to people signing up during opening week.
On average, about 4,000 members use the SRC every day, said Kaila Lavin, membership services coordinator at the SRC. On weekdays, the average number of visitors is greater, with about 5,200 members coming in compared to 2,300 on weekends.
Lavin said there were 3,500 registered members before the opening on Jan. 26. When the SRC officially opened, the total number of registrants reached 8,000.
“We know this is an exciting time for campus and that many people would want to come see and use the facility,” Lavin said.
Currently, there are more than 14,000 registered members at the center, and more than 13,900 of those are students.
Many students using the center have been positive about the facility.
“The SRC is a great asset to the campus,” said Christine Tran, a marketing major.
Some staff have observed that while the center can get quite packed, especially at noon, in the late afternoons and evenings, it isn’t problematic.
“It gets crowded, but we can handle it. We have room for everyone and we’re able to manage everyone effectively,” Longerich said.
The center can hold up to 3,548, Lavin said. And while certain areas and machines may be entirely occupied at certain times, students say it isn’t a challenge finding something to do.
“There’s always equipment you can use,” said Joseph Becerra, a business major. “If the treadmills are all taken, there’s an indoor track.”
SRC supervisor Brittni Minor has had no problem using equipment.
“If all the treadmills are taken, I’ll just move to an elliptical machine,” she said.
Although students have given good feedback about the center, thoughts about the portion of student fees allocated to the facility are split.
Luciela Rojas, a business major, said there seems to be a paradox in how a portion of student fees is directed to the center instead of other academic resources.
“It’s funny how we’re paying for school but the SRC is open longer than the library,” she said.
Becerra and business management major Ian Clark favor the way in which the center is funded.
“Having the payment included in the fees is a good thing,” Becerra said. “You don’t feel that your money’s being taken because it’s already included in the fees.”
“A couple hundred dollars doesn’t hurt to support the school,” said Clark, who uses the center everyday.
