One of several disinfection stations spread throughout the facility Caylee Caldwell // AS Review
By Caylee Caldwell
College life has been a new experience in more ways than usual for first year students at Western Washington University as classes moved online. For the safety of those on campus, Western also closed almost every building usually available and stopped all in person classes for their fall quarter. However, beginning winter quarter as numbers thinned out and Western was able to better gauge the safety of their students, campus changed once more.
After the opening of the Performing Arts Center and Viking Commons, the Wade King Student Recreation Center opened with limited space for reservable time slots on Feb. 16. While the building was closed, staff at the Rec Center were able to get information from previously opened state institutions such as Portland State University, Colorado Mesa University and University of Northern Colorado, among others, to develop a plan for reopening. As the Rec Center researched what was best for the safety of the students, staff decided that it was best to start with hour long reservations for certain sections of the gym, with 15 minute breaks between the sessions to allow for social distancing and cleaning. There is also extra time during the closing hours each day to allow for deep cleaning of all areas.
“We have nine sections available for students to reserve. The weight room, pool, cardio east, cardio west, MAC gym (repurposed as an additional HIIT/Weight Training Zone), court B (bike and cardio zone), court A (agility training zone), and court C (elliptical zone) are currently available,” Dane Siegried, Operations & Climbing Wall Coordinator, said in an email.
As the term went on and the opening of the Rec Center proved to be safe and successful, staff opened the bouldering wall for hour long lessons and the pool also opened to students on April 19. To make a reservation, students must log on to the Rec Center website and choose their activity, date and time, which they are able to do up to six days in advance.
While vaccines are now available to all people above 16 in Bellingham and Washington is currently on a new phase of the pandemic, the Rec Center made sure there are still enough safety procedures in place to protect the students of Western.
“Each area is limited to between 2 and 13 patrons at one time to allow for proper social distancing. Every patron is given their own sanitizing spray bottle and towel to use before and after using equipment,” Siegfried said in an email.
The Rec Center’ front desk also has a plexiglass barrier to protect students and staff, and hand sanitizer is provided at the entrance. Face coverings are required for students and staff at all times while using the Rec Center, including during workouts, and disposable masks are available for those that forget their own or do not have access to a mask.
“I don’t have to worry about somebody being too close to me or about having covid spread to me. I’m happy to be given a chance to have an area to work out but while not being exposed to any illness,” Ashley Ryan, a Western first-year, said in an email.
Since going to the gym, Ryan was able to pick from a variety of machines without ever worrying about crowding, rushing or being unsafe while she worked out.
Amaya Coblentz, a Western first-years, had a similar experience to Ryan during her workouts.
“I liked the number of people allowed in the room because it allowed for generous social distancing and I felt really safe,” Coblentz said.
Rec Center staff are available to help students follow guidelines before, during and after workouts and to explain how to use equipment while keeping interactions short and safe.
The Rec Center hopes to get back to a more open and familiar order of operations, but only once it is safe for all students and staff.
“We are constantly evaluating each space in our facility to make sure we are offering a positive, safe, and inclusive service,” Siegfried said.
Siegfried and the Rec Center believe the opening of different areas has been successful for students thus far and feels confident in the safety of the activities being provided. The Rec Center hopes to expand programming and gym options soon.
“I would recommend everyone book an appointment and try it out because the Rec Center is a great resource on campus and definitely beats working out in a dorm room,” Coblentz said.