After years of anticipation following the start of construction in December 2022, the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility opened on Jan. 13. While the opening was met with enthusiasm, free shirts, cookies and hot chocolate, the space has remained teeming with interest in the weeks since.
From its opening at 7 a.m. to its closing at 11 p.m., the newest addition to campus has been filled with students taking advantage of the resources it has to offer, including workout machines, basketball and pickleball courts and group exercise classes.
“On day one we had almost 4,000 students come through our doors,” James Friel, acting director of Campus Recreation, said in an email. “Our daily average is around 2,500 students. If you look at the previous Rec Center numbers, we only had about 1,100 students per day.”
Jordan Guidinger, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, said he has gotten into a routine of going to the gym five days a week since its opening.
“When I come here, I’m using mostly the weight equipment, but I’ve also been using the rowing machine and then the bikes a little bit. I went to spin class with my friends just for fun, so that’s been super good,” Guidinger said.
The facility has been offering yoga, spin, zumba and pilates classes since its debut, which students can register for on the Campus Recreation website. Friel noted that every spin class in the revolution studio has been filled to capacity since the opening.
Madison Auman, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, has spent time in the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation center as both a patron and an employee, working as a rec supervisor.
“You’re always seeing [and] meeting new people, which is really nice,” Auman said. “I think they did a lot of great things with the building.”
Sarah Rogers, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, spends time alongside Auman as a rec supervisor at the welcome desk.
“I feel like everyone coming in is pretty excited,” Rogers said. “I think it has taken some adjustment for some people, but it is a cool thing to see people come in and be excited about.”
As is the modus operandi for any new addition, there are growing pains in learning how to navigate a new space. Rogers cited guest passes, day lockers for temporary storage with codes as opposed to keys and different routines for employees.
“The students are learning and we’re learning too,” Auman said.
However, the building will adjust as necessary over time to best meet the needs of those that use it.
“While the planning and design process incorporates a lot of input and engagement, there are always things that we learn once the doors are open and people are using the spaces every day, new ideas that we want to test out that require us to think about the space differently,” Lora Strigens, vice president of Planning and Facilities Management, said in an email. “The space and programs will continue to evolve over the life of the building.”
As the 195,000 square-foot space continues to be worn in, it vows to foster student wellness through community and recreation.
“My team at Campus Rec is committed to introducing new programs, being innovative in our approach to wellness and recreation and to continue to serve our students each day,” Friel said in an email.
This story was written by Lance Schulteis. He can be reached at [email protected].
