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Still Complaining About School, Even Though I'm Graduating
This weekend I went to the AC, as I often do, to play basketball. And once again, in what is becoming a regular occurrence, we were unable to play because non-WashU-affiliated groups were using all of the facilities.
Our Athletic Complex has three gyms for basketball: the main gym where our varsity teams play, Francis gym (which is the oldest gym) where our varsity teams used to play, and the recreational gym for student use. The main gym is usually off-limits to students, as it is the site of basketball games, volleyball games, and lectures, and this weekend it was the site of some fancy event with tablecloths and such. This isn't really a problem though, since there are two other gyms specifically set aside for student use.
The problem is that every weekend, the athletic department rents out the recreational gym to other people. This weekend it was some midwestern fencing tournament, last weekend it was a high school volleyball tournament, and the week before it was the Native American Powwow. During the summer, you can find youth soccer camps in there almost every day of the week. Normally we could just go play in Francis, but this weekend it was filled with high schoolers who were here for the high school track meet that was going on at our track outside. Apparently WashU students need ID cards to get into the AC, but anyone else can walk in and out as they please.
Frankly, it's unacceptable that facilities meant for students are unusable every weekend. Our athletic facilities are already sorely in need of renovation, from the outdated and broken equipment in the weight room to the slippery surface of Francis and the recreational gym, and they only get worse when they're constantly in use by non-students. If they're going to get money from the fencing people and the high school volleyball teams, they should at least use the money to fix up what we have (or preferably build someplace else for the non-student events).
Most of our basketball group ended up going to the Richmond Heights Fitness Center and paying $7 each to play basketball on Saturday (although I did not), which would have been totally unnecessary if the student facilities were open for students to use. I don't mind it when I have to wait for a game because the gym is crowded with students during reading week, but it's unacceptable that I should have to dodge epees, career fairs, and giggling high school girls or pay to play elsewhere.
Comments
This is a legitimate gripe and I suggest you (or better yet, your parents) send this to our Chancellor.
Posted by: rkc at May 3, 2004 9:28 PM
That's a very good idea. Write a letter, let him know how PO'd you are. CC it to a guy by the name of John Schael, who's the AD here, and oversees the facilities use.
Posted by: Brian at May 5, 2004 3:24 PM
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