New UVU Student Life and Welness Center

A New Student Life and Wellness Center to Grace UVU’s campus

News Story #1

Students here at UVU could be enjoying a new 175,000 square foot facility as soon as summer of 2013. The Student Life and Wellness Center, a $40 million project, is planned to be placed somewhere between the library and current student center.
The most likely place according to Cory Duckworth, VP of student affairs here on campus, is in the parking lot immediately south of the library. If you’ve ever visited UVU campus, you are probably already imagining the headache that will cause on already too limited parking.
To compensate a new parking structure, scheduled to be five levels and have over 536 stalls, will be built probably in Lot L, directly in front of the current student center.
According to Duckworth, the University plans to hire an architect as soon as June, then go to bid this fall, and hopefully break ground in Jan – March of next year. Construction should take 18-24 months.
While not everything that is going to be included is not yet concrete, Duckworth was able to give me things that he is 95% sure of. He says that there will certainly be up to four basketball courts to be used by intramural teams and to just shoot around, one multipurpose court for indoor soccer, etc. On another level there will be aerobic equipment, free and machine weights, jogging track and four rooms for various fitness classes. Even a four story climbing wall and bouldering courses will be added.
As well as fitness resources, the new center will be for relaxing and lounging. A game room, spacious lobby with comfortable chairs and sofas, as well as a reflection center will all be included.
Some of the things that may happen but are yet to be determined include a bowling alley, Jacuzzis, a movie theatre, and other things.
Most noticeably absent, and talked about on various blogs and reviews already of the center is a pool. Duckworth states that they did their homework and found that “people like the idea of a pool more that a pool itself.” And that it takes up tons of square footage and finances and returns the least amount of use.
If you’re wondering how these things got chosen, perhaps you should check your UVU email inbox. In early January, a survey was given in the halls, and emailed to every student asking them to choose what would be placed in such a center.
When asked why such a huge undertaking was such a priority for the University, Pres. Duckworth responded “Our research suggested time and again that the number one thing our students wanted more of was a social scene, for the full University experience. They need a place to connect socially outside of the hallways, and as a commuter campus, it was hard to leave and come back and find parking. Now our students can have what other university students have.”