Emory and Tech recently announced another joint venture in their ever growing partnership. The two universities will soon break ground on a new project, the Recreation Service Center (RSC).
The RSC will house a shared collection of recreation center equipment from both Tech’s CRC and Emory’s Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC). While detailed plans for the future of the WoodPEC have yet to be unveiled, their administration recently announced that the WoodPEC will eventually become the WoodCHUC, the Woodruff Campus Hub for Undergraduate Community.
Eventually, nearly 95 percent of CRC equipment will be moved to the RSC. Though the off campus facility will feature a workout room, its primary function would be storage. Administration noted that while student use of the CRC has increased annually, overall student health had declined steadily over the past decade. As the CRC fails in its mission of promoting student well being, they struggle to justify the large amount of space and funding it consumes. The administration believes that the function of the CRC must be re-imagined in order to better align with a wider variety of student needs.
The decision has upset many students who rely on the CRC’s facilities in order to maintain their personal health. CRC employees are currently exploring methods of virtually simulating physical exercise. The use of virtual simulation technology will dramatically increase the quantity of services and activities offered at the CRC. Faculty hope that the greater diversity in offerings afforded by the technology will induce more students to regularly pursue exercise.
The decision further sparked outrage from many student clubs and intramural teams that regularly use CRC facilities for practice and general conditioning. They worry the proposed simulations will be less effective than actual, physical exercise. Additionally, they believe simulations will not be able to emulate the camaraderie forged during practices. The administration brokered a compromise with each organization; a limited collection of equipment deemed integral to the success of each club will be allowed to remain in the CRC.
Though a similar program has never been attempted, the administration remains positive that the development of the RSC and the changes it affords the CRC
will ultimately better serve student needs.
Disclaimer: This is part of our April Fool’s wraparound and is in no way factual.