As the scorching heat of another Texas summer hits campus, students will visit the Student Recreation Center to take full advantage of the swimming pool. Until recently, however, the outdoor pool was scheduled to close for renovation during the summer. Now, thanks to a frenzy of complaints from the student body, Texas A&M decided to postpone renovation to the outdoor pool in the best interest of the students.
Closing the outdoor swimming pool was an illogical idea simply because it is summer. Any renovations to the outdoor facility should have been planned for winter months when the pool is closed. The Rec Center would not be in a rush to complete the work because it would be during off-season, when students would use the indoor pools. Students spend all year anticipating relaxing outside by the pool.
Although students may feel that A&M does not consider their opinion as they plan events that affect their lives, this is not the case for the Rec Center pool. Rec Center staff said the dates for renovation were reconsidered because they received so many complaints from students through phone calls and confrontations. Considerations and compromises were made by the staff to accommodate the student body. Each individual complaint made an impact on the decision to close the outdoor pool.
The outdoor facility is used as a social gathering place for some students and organizations. Others swim laps in the pool for exercise. By taking away the availability of the outdoor pool, students felt they would have been cheated out of a popular summer activity.
Student fees cover using the Rec Center facility, including the pool. If A&M had decided to close the pool, the fee should have been pro-rated to compensate students instead of having them pay for a facility that was unavailable. Students may have been more accepting of the renovation plans if they had been given an opportunity beforehand to express their views.
Finding an alternate pool would have been difficult for some students. The closing of the outdoor pool would have made students feel they were at a disadvantage. "If I didn't have the Rec pool, I'd be laying out in my backyard," Dan Prendergast, a senior biology major, said. "You can drag out the hose, but it's just not the same."
Although most apartments have pools for their residents to use, students who live on campus or in a house may not have access to other pools aside from the one at the Rec Center. Students would risk trespassing if they go to an apartment pool where they do not live.
While plans to close the indoor instructional pool Aug. 19 are still underway, thanks to the outcry of complaints from students, they will be able to enjoy their time at the outdoor pool this summer without worry. Now, the outdoor pool will not begin renovation until September 2, 2002, due to both students who were willing to voice their opinions and administrators who were willing to listen.
Be the first to comment on this article!