The Student Activity Center (SAC) at Central Michigan University is set to reopen to students on Sept. 14 after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order on Sept. 3 allowed gyms and pools to open.

The SAC will be open from 4-10 p.m. on weekdays and 4-8 p.m. on weekends. The pool and Weight Training Center will be open 4-8 p.m. every day.

However, the SAC will look significantly different other than the facelift it received during the summer.

Plexiglas separates the front-desk workers from students, equipment in the Fitness Center and Weight Training Center has been spaced to accommodate social distancing guidelines and face masks are required.

To get in, students need their student ID, a mask and a green check on their daily health screening on the app. Students may scan themselves into the center after showing the green checkmark on the health app.

"Everything is self-serve," said University Recreation Director of Programs and Administration Jen Beck Nottingham. "Our staff doesn't have to touch and you don't have to exchange."

The pool is open, but is limited to swimming laps. No recreation or play swimming is allowed. The hot tub and saunas will remain closed. Swimmers do not need to wear a mask while in the water, but are required to put their masks back on as soon as they exit the pool.

Capacity in the SAC is limited to 25 percent. On average, the SAC welcomes anywhere from 800-1200 visitors per day. In the Fitness Center, 50 guests at a time will be allowed in, 15 people can use the Weight Training Center at one time and there are six lanes in the pool.

Part of the executive order mandates gyms keep a record of who is in the facility in the event of exposure to COVID-19. To help with their contact tracing efforts and to help limit crowds, gym users must make a reservation online. Reservations must be made for the Fitness Center, Weight Training Center and the pool.

Students may make a reservation 48 hours in advance -- beginning on Sept. 12 -- to use the center for 60 minutes. One visit to the SAC is allowed per day. No guests or external visitors are allowed.

"Make sure you plan ahead," said Assistant Director of Fitness/Wellness Margie Cole. Bookings are anticipated to be made quickly with some scarcity within the center. "I encourage people to plan ahead but people can change it within the confirmation (email) or they can cancel it."

Each person must fill out their own reservation, even within a group. Also, when a booking is made, people have the entire hour to use the facility or to not. For example, if a reservation is made at 5 p.m., that person may arrive at the SAC at 5:30 and use it for the remainder of the hour.

Other areas of the SAC will be open. The enclosed courts for racquetball and wallyball will be open. For racquetball, games must be kept to one-on-one while wallyball may be played two-on-two.

The billiards lounge will be open for play. Every other table will be used and can only be played one-on-one. Table tennis will also be available, also limited to one-on-one.

Along with the enclosed courts, the basketball/volleyball courts will be open. Each court is broken down into halves with two people on each half (one-on-one basketball or one-on-one badminton or pickleball). Four players at a time may use a volleyball court (two-on-two).

Basketballs and volleyballs are not available to check out -- students may bring their own. Reservations are not required for the courts and are able to use on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Table tennis paddles, billiards cues and racquets are all available to check out.

Additionally, the MAC gyms are available for indoor soccer with four players maximum.

The indoor track is limited to 25 guests at a time and has designated areas to stretch or perform other exercises.

One change in the Fitness and Weight Training centers is the use of color-coordinating equipment. Accessory items for the cable machines are designated to a maroon box and a gold box taped on the floor, to limit cross-touching.

Aurora Abraham

Cable machines with color-coordination in the Fitness Center at the Student Activity Center.

Another change in the Fitness Center, accessory equipment -- medicine balls, for example -- need to be checked out with staff.

While time blocks have been put in place to disinfect and clean touchpoints and equipment, students are asked to wipe down equipment, before and after use, with a towel provided upon check-in. There are roughly 45 stations with a disinfecting product to clean equipment throughout the building.

"It's a partnership," Nottingham said. "You're going to see our staff in action, wiping things down, spraying within that block time, but we also want people to feel comfortable. Even though 'Oh, (staff) sprayed it, I (can) spray it myself so I know,' we are welcoming that."

Priority of the use of the SAC goes to classes first, then student use.

Allowing CMU students into the SAC is the first of three phases University Recreation has laid out. The second phase would allow CMU faculty and staff access to the center and the third would allow community use.

URec will evaluate each phase every two weeks and will make decisions based on the overall safety of the community.