Students had differing sentiments about the new changes to the Student Recreational Sports Center (SRSC), which IU renovated during the summer.
As enrollment and student interest in wellness increased, with IU Bloomington citing an 18% increase in its student body population over the past five years, the Office of Student Life knew it was time for a change. After collecting student input from surveys and focus groups, IU partnered with its Capital Planning and Facilities and Campus Auxiliaries departments to revamp the SRSC, Chris Arvin, executive director of recreational sports, said in an email.
IU added six new lateral pulldown machines and 24 new bench presses to the strength gym and converted three racquetball courts into strength studios. It also added a wellness and recovery studio, fresh coats of paint and IU branding. The updates, Arvin said, in addition to several other student activity-related projects, have cost IU $2 million since the spring.
Prior to summer renovations, many students felt the SRSC put students too close together for comfort.
“I felt like I was breathing on top of people and there were not a lot of duplicate machines, so it was really hard to get a quick workout in,” IU sophomore Reilly Baker said. “I felt like there was too much stuff in there but also not enough stuff in there at the same time.”
Over the summer, when the main strength gym was undergoing renovations, students had the option of exercising at the Bill Garrett Fieldhouse or using the weights in the converted racquetball court in the SRSC.
Some areas of the SRSC are still undergoing changes: digital lockers are on track to be completed by the week of Sept. 7 and all-gender showers and locker rooms are anticipated to be finished in the next few weeks. The main strength gym reopened on Aug. 26.
“I really like the new renovations,” IU sophomore Garret Whipple said. “I think there’s a lot more space. There’s a lot more benches in there, you know, like all the new squat racks and you know, just all the racks there in general.”
Others liked the new paint and brand installations. “It’s also just way cooler looking,” Baker said. “It looks like a cool collegiate gym, and all the machines are really nice looking.”
The addition of IU’s signature crimson-and-cream, incorporated through paint and new brand installations, was meant to “enhance a sense of belonging and pride in IU,” Arvin said.
However, not every student favored the renovations. Some specifically cited the changes to the machinery in the upstairs wellness area.
“If you’re trying to hit legs, it’s not very good,” IU junior Joshua Barnett said. “They swapped out what I thought was pretty good leg extension machines for these weird new ones. Same thing with the leg curl machines as well. Overall, it’s a net benefit, but I wish they would revert the changes to the leg machines.”
Some students, like IU sophomore Tiffany Soto, said they disliked that machines were removed.
“There’s only one hip thrust machine, and that’s, like, all the way upstairs, when last year there were two and it was downstairs,” Soto said. “It’s kinda like awkward placement, and there’s only one smith machine.”
Arvin said he hopes the SRSC will offer options for a more diverse set of fitness styles. Those who enjoy CrossFit now have equipment in a converted racquetball court, and weights have been added to the upstairs indoor track’s stretching space for self-guided workouts.
Much of the SRSC is still under construction to repaint and add brand installations, which Arvin expects to be completed by January. In the meantime, students can enjoy lifting on platforms that proudly display the IU trident.
