Free massages, music, food part of celebration
Since its opening in 1990, the Student Recreation Center was projected by its former director to be a successful project for students to turn to in developing a healthy college lifestyle and to be a distraction away from the pressures of school.
Now, 15 years later, Juliette Moore, director of campus recreation, said she can't believe the success story the Rec Center has written for itself.
The Rec Center will celebrate its 15th anniversary tomorrow from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the south gym.
The "Celebration of Life" is free and open to the university community and their guests, said Jody Liller, public relations and marketing director for the Rec Center.
To celebrate the occasion, the Rec Center will provide free food, music, giveaways, an inflatable climbing wall and free massages, among other games and events.
The first 75 people to attend the event will receive gifts, including pedometers, flashlight carabineers and other prizes, Liller said.
The event is an important way to show what the Rec Center has accomplished during the past 15 years, Moore said.
"This is our way of showing patrons, especially students, our appreciation for their support of the facilities and programs offered through campus recreation," Moore said. "(Students) might find something of interest for themselves."
Kaely Brinkerhoff, a student Rec Center employee, said the anniversary means the Rec Center has been a success since its inception, especially because of student usage during peak times between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"I think students embrace healthy lifestyles in trying to maintain their workload through exercise, intramurals and through some of the classes we offer here," said Brinkerhoff, a pre-nursing sophomore. "It's always crowded."
Student visitation to the Rec Center has increased by 39 percent from the period of Sept. 1 to Dec. 1 during a seven-year period from 1998 through 2004, which has been tallied through an electronic access system with the swiping of a student's CatCard, Moore said.
Student employee Richelle Rosenbaum, a mechanical engineering junior, said the success the Rec Center has received during the past 15 years could be credited to students dropping in to work out in between classes or hanging at the pool at the end of the day.
Rosenbaum said she enjoys the perks of working at the Rec Center because of the professional and courteous staff and meeting other students she wouldn't have otherwise met.
Devon McAslan, an anthropology senior, said the Rec Center is valuable to have around for keeping in shape and relieving stress from the daily grind and pressures of school.
The event is meant to celebrate students being able to pump iron in the weight room, attend the many fitness classes offered or just hang out by the pool, as they have been doing for the past 15 years, Moore said.