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Printer-Friendly ModeRyder Center responds to demand with extended hours
January 22, 2007 —
The start of the Winter 2007 semester marked the beginning of the expanded hours in the Ryder Center and Fitness Center.
Instead of staying open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday thru Thursday, the Ryder Center is now open from 6:30 a.m. to midnight during the week. The hours on Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. have remained the same.
The request to expand Ryder Center hours has been mentioned since the Fitness Center opened, which was roughly three years ago. Proper funding has finally helped SVSU to cater to student and staff needs in this area.
According to K.J. Foster, coordinator of Campus Recreation, the cost to keep the Center open an extra 2.5 hours four days per week will cost around $8,500 per year. Foster thinks it will be money well spent.
"Their dollars are going toward something they can benefit from for their enjoyment," he said.
Foster also thinks it is important that students can actually see what their money is going into, and that expanding the hours not only benefits students, but faculty as well.
"It was a demand for early morning due to staff wanting to come out before class," he said.
Students with later classes that do not end until 10 p.m. are able to use the Fitness Center more frequently now, also. Student Life Director Janelle Jacobs said working around schedules was part of the difficulty for expanding the hours.
"Part of the challenge to actually making it happen included custodial and facilities schedules as well as how to pay for the necessary student desk staff," she said. "Fortunately, there is an awesome team at the Ryder Center and with Campus Facilities staff; they want to make everything as helpful and accommodating as possible for students. We also all feel it is important to encourage healthy lifestyles, and realize that students, staff, and faculty have hectic, varied schedules."
On average, around 750 people use the Fitness Center per day. According to Foster, students and staff have already made good use of the new hours. On the first day of the new hours, Foster reported seeing around 20 people in the gym at 6:30 a.m.
Many students also used the gym during the new hours on the first night. Foster said the Fitness Center was packed around 10:40 p.m. He thinks much of the business comes from New Year's resolutions and the fact that it is winter.
"In my opinion, I believe if you would have done this in the fall, it wouldn't have been a great demand," Foster said. "There's lots of outside activity then."
However, some students are concerned that money is not being spent in the best way. Student Randi Anklam wonders if the extra hours per day are worth the costs. "I believe that fitness and health is very important," she said, "but two and a half hours a day isn't that much longer. If a student is so worried about getting to the Ryder to work out, then they can fit it into their schedule early in the morning before class, or in between classes even."
Jacobs said that the new hours are actually operating on a trial period, so student feedback is encouraged.
"We are excited about the expanded hours," she said. "We're looking forward to hearing feedback and evaluating what the hours should be for future semesters."