Fate of campus racquetball courts undecided

Because nearly 400 physical education majors are provided with only one classroom in Morrow Field House, the department is exploring new options for additional classroom space.Physical education department chair, Dr. Betsy McKinley said she hopes to transform two out of five rarely used racquetball courts into classrooms.

The Student Government Association owns the five racquetball courts, which are located in Morrow Field House. Although SGA discussed the motion to transform two of the five courts into classrooms at its meeting last Thursday, they decided to table the motion until its meeting next Thursday.

SGA felt that more information on the conversion was needed before a decision could be made.

McKinley said that in the 16 years she has been at the university, classroom space for physical education majors has always been an issue.

"As long as I have been here, there has only ever been one classroom in the field house for physical education majors," McKinley said.

McKinley said that although physical education equipment is kept in Morrow Field House, physical education faculty and students have to go all over campus for classes, which are held in McKay Education Building, Swope Music Hall, West Gym, East Gym, Behavioral Science Building, Spotts World Culture Building, Aebersold Recreation Center and Eisenberg Classroom Building.

The conversion would open up space in the ARC, McKinley said. Currently, the department has to rent space from the ARC for movement education classes, which have to be taken by not only physical education majors, but also elementary education and early childhood education majors.

"This is not an effort to steal space," McKinley said. "It is an effort to expand and enhance the physical education majors' experience so when they get out, they are cutting-edge."

In a letter McKinley wrote to SGA President Larry Brink, she said physical education majors have "no 'home base' to congregate and share work, equipment and ideas."

The one classroom in Morrow Field House, room 119, also has to be shared with the dance department, McKinley said.

According to McKinley, the classroom seats about 50-60 students, has no air conditioning and does not provide an efficient learning environment when there is any type of sporting event occurring on the main basketball court, which is located right outside the door.

She said the department recently got a grant for 30 laptops, which are also stored in the classroom.

But students aren't able to use them as they should be able to because they have to travel across campus for their classes and can't take the laptops with them.

"It is a huge inconvenience for us and students," McKinley said, "but our main concern is the students."

Much of the technological equipment that the department has requires a cool storage place, which the air-conditioned racquetball courts could provide, McKinley said.

According to McKinley, the conversion of two of the courts into classrooms would also provide enough space for students to learn how to use the equipment.

"We teach our majors to be hands-on," she said. "See, say and do is our motto. But they can't always get their hands on the equipment."

McKinley said the ability to use technology is crucial to the education of physical education majors.

"Students are becoming more tech-savvy," she said. "Students are coming here from schools that have technology that we don't have."

Originally, it was planned to have the ceilings of the courts lowered, but McKinley said she found out the cost would be much lower if they were left the same.

Another ambition of McKinley's is to have the wall between the two courts she wishes to convert into classrooms removed and have a folding wall between them so the rooms can be used either together or separately.

"One side would be used for human movement analysis, and the other side would be used for activity," McKinley said.

Widening the doors to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act is another change that would have to be made.

One professor who has been affected by the lack of classroom space is Dr. Randy Nichols, associate professor of physical education.

For his classes, Nichols uses TriFit, a computer cart that is used to assess fitness levels of students, and also teaches students to assess fitness levels of others.

Because of the lack of space, Nichols said that the cart is currently stored in a closet, and students have to wheel it out into the hallway to use it.

"If we had more space, we could use it way more," Nichols said. "It's a headache to use it right now."

Because of the lack of accessibility, students currently have to make an appointment to use TriFit. With more space, Nichols said students could use it freely, and he could also use it while teaching.

The space issue is also hindering the department's ability to receive new technology, Nichols said. One of the questions on the applications is whether or not the department has space to store the technology, he said.

"We are being declined grants because there is no space to store the technology," Nichols said. "Students are being hurt by it."

Dr. Istvan Kovacs, assistant professor of physical education, uses DartFish software, a program used to analyze human movement.

With the software, students are videotaped doing some sort of movement, such as a racket swing, and their movement is analyzed. Students can then compare themselves with others and adapt their movement, Kovacs said.

"With the software, students will develop a critical eye for movement," Kovacs said.