Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management, said the existing wrestling room will become an expansion of the fitness room, with work beginning in December and ending in March.

The construction of the fitness center cannot begin until the wrestling facility in the new Events Center is completed.

“They did not want to build a brand new fitness center in the Events Center because it would be isolated from the rest of the SAC’s amenities,” said Stan Shingles, assistant vice president of University Recreation.

The fitness center is the most highly-used facility, with 87 percent of the people coming to the SAC using it, Shingles said.

Because of capacity issues in the past, the decision to expand was made.

The square footage of the area will be nearly doubled. Shingles said the change is significant.

“I think it will attract more students and encourage them to check it out,” said Byron Center junior Lacey Lott. “It will alleviate the load of people with a bigger space and more machines.”

While construction is still taking place, students like Lott are running into some difficulties. The parking right now is difficult to navigate and Lott has had to go a different way, she said.

There was an intentional effort to move the wrestling facility to capture that space geographically, so Central Michigan University did a land swap, Shingles said.

“We’re also renovating the existing space, putting in new flooring and new lighting,” Shingles said. “We’re doing a significant overhaul to that facility. It’s not going to look anything like it does currently.”

In regard to the Events Center and the SAC, construction has been planned for more than three years, said Athletics Director Dave Heeke.

The changes will bring new and exciting opportunities for students who come to CMU and want the full college experience, he said.

“This building will create more space in the SAC and bring in tremendous events that will be exciting,” Heeke said. “We’ll also have the opportunity for exciting nights in athletics. Those all play a part in the greater experience of our students.”

Senior Reporter Carisa Seltz contributed to this report

According to a University Communications press release, 80 trees will be removed, 22 relocated and 34 to remain in their existing location. An additional 80 trees will be planted around campus to compensate for each removed tree.

Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of facilities management, said workers will complete the project in phases. The Rose Arena renovations are to be completed by October 2010, the practice gym and wrestling room by December 2010 and the renovations for the Student Activity Center area by February 2011. 

Once construction of the Events Center is complete, new sidewalks in the area will accompany 49 new trees, 34 shrubs and 16,357 perennial flowers.

“It will have a totally new appearance,” Lawrence said. “New sidewalks will be installed because of the change in ground elevation and alignment to the new lobby entrance.”

Annoying, but needed

The fence surrounding the construction area has received mixed reviews from students, even though it will be surrounding Rose Arena for more a year until the construction is complete.

“The fence was annoying the first few times when I had to go around, but it’s good that it’s there,” said Manistee junior John Phillips. “It’s only in the way if I forget about it and take the crosswalk with the light instead of planning to take the other route ahead of time.”

Phillips said the fence is a needed safety precaution and is a necessary evil that comes with construction.

“The fence is a minor irritation, but isn’t construction always annoying?” he said. “In the end, things will look good and we’ll be glad we put up with it.”

Jackson sophomore Kelsey Miller said even though she heard the fence has made some people late for classes, the updates will be a good addition for campus.

“The fence is a little bit of a nuisance, and is not pretty to look at, but it just foreshadows what is to come for Rose, and that is exciting,” Miller said. “I think the renovations definitely need to be done. A lot of things on campus have been renovated and modernized and, with Rose being so small, it needs to match all the other updates on campus.”

“A Black and White Affair” was this year’s multicultural formal dance, typically held by a multicultural student group in the SAC every year. This year’s event was sponsored by the Multicultural Greek Council.

“The school is really doing us a favor, letting us use the facility,” MGC president and Sturgis senior Miguel De Jesus said. “These kinds of events, they’re really good fundraisers.”

MGC was founded this semester to govern the six multicultural fraternities and sororities on campus. De Jesus said he had helped run the formal in past years, but being in charge of it was a different experience.

“This is my first time running (the dance),” De Jesus said. “Being my first time, it was work… insurance, paperwork, meeting with the police.”

The event was $5 to attend and was open to the public, including students from other universities.

Auburn senior Nou Her has attended the dance each of the four years she has been at Central Michigan University, and it is one of the things she will miss after graduating.

“Since I was a freshman, I’ve come to every one. (The dance is) special because nobody gets to party at the SAC,” Her said. “I’ve met students from other universities. It’s for everyone, even though it’s held by a multicultural group.”

Detroit freshman Toni Bailey said she enjoyed the dance, although she was not about to allow herself not to.

“You have to make the best of the party,” Bailey said. “Especially when you pay $5.”

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