by Katy Kappele
Horizon Reporter
We need a new gym. Period.
The one was have is nice, but completely inadequate to house our current student body, which has more than doubled since the Pavilion was built, Kris Baier says. The size results in no offices for coaches, no area for activities outside of a tiny weightlifting room and a basketball court, and no storage. Currently, students are unable to use the Pavilion’s showers because they are being used for storage.
The Pavilion expansion would result in increased storage and office space, as well as new classrooms and offices for coaches, so that they could be close to their teams. An expanded weight room would mean more, cleaner, and newer equipment.
And the cost? Some people are saying it will cost less. So? The council budgeted high so we won’t get stuck with half a gym when money runs out. It’s already been paid for, and fees from staff and alumni members would pay for heat and upkeep.
When we think about the Pavilion expansion, we have to have vision. Without students’ vision in the past, there would be no Syre, and I think we can all agree we like Syre, even if it is a little rambunctious sometimes. If you don’t like how loud Syre has gotten, here’s some cool news for you: the new Pavilion would host a hangout much like the upstairs of Syre, and because it would be next to the weight room, no one would care if you were loud, so Syre could return to a quiet study space!
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by Cutter Kilgore
Horizon Reporter
Wait, how much?
The council at Whatcom has been soliciting feedback from students about a potential ten million dollar expansion for the Pavilion to add an indoor track, some multi-use rooms and a, ahem, “student hangout area.”
First of all, every room is a multi-use room depending on what you do in it. So we already have those, thanks.
And what’s wrong with all the places students currently have to hang out on campus? Syre, Heiner, the outdoor quad; there’s comfy chairs in nearly every nook and cranny of this school. Exactly how much “hanging out” does the average person need?
It’s true that there’s no indoor track. But, if you read the rest of this issue you’ll discover that there’s also no longer a day-care center for student parents. I wonder which affects more people daily.
There are signs in Laidlaw that you’ve probably seen. Office hours for financial aid and registration have been reduced due to state budget cuts. You can’t talk to an adviser on Fridays anymore. But we sure need some multi-use rooms in the gym that none of you will see for another three to five years!
Executive council member Shawn Chantaboune said during a budget meeting that Whatcom is expecting lower enrollment next year, which will mean further funding reductions for things like the newspaper you’re reading.
So, while I enjoy the Pavilion and athletics in general, I have to put on my negative-Nancy cap for a moment and question if that money couldn’t be better spent elsewhere?
