When it comes to making poor financial decisions, the University of Connecticut has been on a roll.
Just over a month ago, the quad of West Campus was enclosed by tall chain-link fences with green tarps hung over them for privacy. Heavy construction machinery could be heard laboring inside at all hours while the sun was up. When the tarps came down less than a week later, the area inside was gutted — the grass pulled up, the sand replaced with fresh dirt and, most significantly, the volleyball court erased. Rumors began to circulate about what could possibly be filling the spot; consistently, the prevailing rumor hinted at a playground. Sure enough, despite all doubts, the area — still under construction — now contains several pieces of equipment reminiscent of a children’s playground.
It isn’t actually a playground. The online description for West Campus vaguely calls it a new recreation installation, and more specifically, it’s an outdoor calisthenics gym — a park with equipment for a form of strength training that is all the rage as of late. Looking beyond the shiny UConn-blue metal swings and closer at the other apparatuses, you’ll realize they look suspiciously gymnastic. The “monkey bars” and rings are designed for dead hangs; there are bench press machines and padding on the metal pillars for wall push-ups. It looks like the perfect workout area… a mere twenty feet away from the four-story Recreation Center.
Why install an outdoor gym when the all-encompassing Rec Center is only a few steps away? If UConn’s administration has any reason for this, they have yet to share it; it’s practically impossible to find information about this renovation online. What’s worse is that it’s horribly ugly. The equipment is a sterile blue-gray and oddly spaced apart. What used to be a flourishing, grassy quad full of life is now a concrete jungle (gym) devoid of anything natural.
It may seem like not much was lost — the gazebo was inexplicably removed before the fall semester even began, anyway — but green space is something UConn sorely lacks, even with the nearby park, when it comes to residential housing areas. West Campus now feels unwelcoming, sacrificed to the same corporate interests that recently victimized our dear Gampel Pavilion. I used to see groups of over twenty students playing volleyball well past sunset, lighting up the quad with music and laughter, when returning to my dorm from class. Last year, when the gazebo was still there, I’d spot people gathered in its warm wooden embrace, chatting away into the night. Now, the quad is quiet and lonely.
Working out is mainly a solitary activity. Peek for even a moment into the Rec and you’ll mostly see students lifting weights alone with their AirPods in, with the occasional duo spotting each other… with their AirPods in. This outdoor gym is likely to befall the same fate. The socialization opportunities cultivated by the West Campus quad of years previous will no longer exist; rather, students will once again be encouraged to focus their hobbies and social interactions on their athleticism.
This is just another instance of UConn misunderstanding the student body’s wants. Who asked for this? West Campus residents did not get any say in what should replace the historical gazebo and volleyball court; if they had, perhaps we wouldn’t be waking up to the belligerent sounds of construction well before our alarms. Part of the allure of West Campus when I was selecting my dorm was its beautiful courtyard — small, but cozy — and its two signature outdoor amenities. Now, these key features have been taken away without warning.
I’m sure some students will enjoy the new recreation installment — UConn has an athletics-focused culture, after all. But many students will be excluded because they lack the athletic interest required, and they’ll be pushed out of a space once meant for all. Public spaces, especially those right outside of residential buildings, should be inclusive of all types of students with a wide range of interests, not suited toward a niche form of body training.
It’s unlikely that construction on the renovation will cease, and the outdoor gym will live in the quad for years to come. But when insatiable UConn decides to renovate it again, I hope they’ll consider the broader student body and the value in simpler installations: gazebos, gardens or even just benches. The center of a dorm quad is no place for an outdoor gym — I would have even preferred a playground.