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Printer-Friendly ModeRyder Center rental policies questioned
Officials explain University position on facilities rental
April 23, 2007 —
Many students are aware that the Ryder Center made a decision to expand its hours of operation during the last semester.
However, this was only a partial solution to an ongoing problem occurring in Ryder. SVSU students who frequent the facility often face the difficult situation of not being able use the facilities they desire, most commonly the track in O'Neill Arena and the Cardinal Gym.
Students are not specifically paying for access to Ryder's facilities and equipment. That is, there is no designated line item for student activity fees.
Though this may be included in general tuition, the lack of a specific fee implies that students are not directly paying to use the Ryder. Even though students do not pay for use of the Ryder, it is implied through campus advertising and common practice that students will be able to use the Ryder.
"The Ryder is an interesting dichotomy," said Athletic Director Mike Watson. "It is an auxiliary unit that generates revenue, but is an auxiliary unit to serve students."
According to Assistant Athletic Director Angela Pohl, in 2006 the Ryder Center brought in approximately $170,000 from outside sources of income.
The majority of this is from facilities rentals. The expenses incurred in the operation of the Ryder Center were about $73,000.
This gives the Ryder Center an approximate net profit of $97,000 for 2006. 25 percent of the original revenue goes to the general fund, so $42,500 is moved from the Ryder Center funds to SVSU general accounts.
"Students benefit from those dollars," Watson said.
This leaves the Ryder with a surplus of $54,500 for large-scale purchases. In the past, this has included everything from lifeguard swimsuits to volleyball nets.
O'Neill Arena is the most frequently rented area of the Ryder Center. This area is usually booked during the spring months.
"During the months of January to April, between the home basketball games, expos and shows, it is pretty tough to get in," Pohl said.
She mentioned that it often takes several days to set up the event, host the event and then tear down. Varsity athletics also use the arena for practices and while serving the needs of those students, shuts down to individual students during these hours.
SVSU senior and Program Board President Crystal Dillard knows first-hand just how difficult reserving a space can be due to her involvement with Program Board and its attempt to plan an annual concert.
"I think it would be nice if students get first choice of having the Ryder Center," she said. "The process they have now works, but it really gets hard to plan things because the Ryder is booked so far in advance."
Knowing the high demand for this area, some groups book years in advance.
Specifically, the boat show and craft show that were held there recently have reserved the space and have been hosting the event for between five and nine years on the same weekend in the same location.
Watson acknowledges that the lack of specific spaces at inflexible times is an issue with some students.
"Oftentimes, it's not that facilities are unavailable, it's that they're not available when students want to use them," he said.
"Obviously students are our primary constituent group. It's not just individuals, but clubs and organizations that are SVSU-related as well."
With the onset of club sports, practices have consumed a lot of space and time.
"We had lacrosse coming in and practicing in the evening," Pohl said. "We would have to shut down half of the track for safety."
These students were able to take advantage of the Ryder Center facilities, but in doing so prevented individual students from using the track.
And while individuals may not personally reserve facilities, Pohl said small groups can still make arrangements to use facilities as long as they notify her several days in advance.
"We try to accommodate requests that require set-up."