Campus Recreation Center Update

May is here. Graduation has happened. Students are gone, but work on the $37.5 million Campus Recreation Center still goes on. Over the past few weeks walls have emerged the drywall has been finished. Miles of internet and cable has been run. Walking through the facility is exciting, each week brings a change in the right direction. Each person who has entered on a tour with our Department has said “WOW, it doesn’t look this big from the outside.” Standing in each of the areas, whether it be the 3 court Gymnasium, the Wellness Studios, MAC Court, 1st floor Weights & Fitness or the 2nd Floor Weight, Fitness and Cardiovascular Area it is huge. Feel free to check out some of the recent photos at the link below…

https://picasaweb.google.com/stonyprodev/CampusRecreationCenter52012?authkey=Gv1sRgCK-UnMPojYeCoAE

 

Happy New Year!!!

Happy 2012 everyone…this is a very big year for the Department of Campus Recreation.  This is the year that we are scheduled to open the new Campus Recreation Center.  With that being said there is still very much that needs to be done.  The professional staff and Campus Recreation Center Advisory Board will be very busy over the next 8 months to get things ready to go for next fall.

So to recap on some things from 2011.  The Campus Recreation staff have chosen Fusion software to use in the new Rec Center.  We were very happy to learn about some of the capabilities and functions that the program has to offer and believe it will make for a much smoother and logistically sound process.

The Pro Staff from C-Rec also took a trip to New York City in December to take a look at the furniture that we will be getting for the new building.  The company that we are going with is Knoll and they had quite a variety and selection of pieces to view.  I think it really makes a difference when you can see some of these things in person and get a true idea of what they look like and what their functionality is, not to mention comfort and ease of use.

It was really a cool trip and we were able to see what the work stations would look like in the administrative offices, as well as the hard furniture that would be in the lobby’s.  We were able to sit in some of the office chairs and other chairs that would be scattered throughout the building including our Multi-Purpose Room.  I have included a few pictures from our tour and day below.  It was also amazing to see all of the textiles and different patters of red that you could select…which I have included in the photo above.  All in all it was a very informative and productive day for the Campus Recreation professional staff.

Here are a few things to be in the lookout for 2012.  Over the next few months we are hoping to narrow things down with the selection of fitness equipment for the new center.  We received a lot of feedback from students and faculty during the equipment expo which will definitely assist with making some of these very important decisions.  We are very excited about this process and I will be sure to update you once things have been finalized.

Are you a Stony Brook Student who would love to have the opportunity of working in this brand new building and hot spot on campus?  If so then here is some important information you will need to know.  During the spring 2012 semester we will be holding six different informational sessions that you can attend to learn about the employment opportunities in the new rec center.  It would be mandatory for you to attend one of these sessions if you want to be considered for a position.  After the sessions have concluded we will be holding a few interview stages and hope to have our staff of around 200 students hired by the end of April.  We will not be relying solely on Federal Work Study students…so does of you that don’t qualify for FWS don’t despair…we will only be hiring the best students available.  Please be on the lookout for more information once the Spring 2012 semester begins.

Finally our CRC Advisory Board will be busier then ever as we are in the process of finalizing some policies and procedures for the building.  We will also be meeting on a more frequent basis as we get closer to the conclusion of construction.  Now is the time to let your voice be heard…if you have specific comments or suggestions please make sure that you contact your CRC Advisory Board representative or feel free to email me at steven.macchiarolo@stonybrook.edu.

Well that’s about it for now…it should be a busy 2012 but all the hard work will pay off once we cut that ribbon and open the doors to the new Campus Recreation Center here at Stony Brook University.

Watch Us Grow!!!

Steve

 

Equipment Demo Expo is a Huge Success

The Equipment Demo Expo that took place last week (November 7-9, 2011) in the Student Activities Center was an absoulte hit!!!  We had over 2,000 people check out the expo in the three days that we were open.  All visitors were able to test out 28 pieces of fitness equipment.  Everything from treadmills and cross trainers to strenth equipment and virtual reality bikes.  We received quite a bit of feedback from the students, faculty and staff in attendance…in fact we had over 600 surveys completed in detail about the equipment  The feedback is definitely something that the Campus Recreation professional staff and Campus Recreation Advisory Board will be taking a look at over the next few months to help us make some decisions on which pieces of equipment we will ultimately purchase for the new Recreation Center.

There was some positive feedback where people really enjoyed some of the features that were available on the equipment.  Some of those features included personal viewing screens with a cable hookup where students were able to watch whatever they wanted to on TV while they worked out.  Other students loved the fact that they were able to get a workout in while plugging in their iPod and listening to their music or watching the videos thru the treamill or cross trainer.  Another big hit was the fact that they were able to charge their iPod or iPhone while they worked out thru the iPod connector on the equipment.

On the other hand there were some students that felt the equipment was too interactive.  They would prefer to have a more simplistic approach to the equipment and did not necessairly like being so close to those personal viewing screens.  They were there just to get a good workout and not necessairly interested in taking advantage of all those entertainment options that were available to them.

The cool thing about is there will most likely be a mixture of this equipment in the new Recreation Center.  We will have some machines that have some of the personal viewing screens and others that do not.  Those that do not have a personal viewing screen will still be able to take advantage of flat screen TVs that will be mounted on the walls in the new rec center.  No matter what I know that they students will be happy with the variety and selection of equipment that is selected for the new building.

One of the most popular responses from the students was that the new equipment looks nice and felt great when they were working out.  There was a consensus that the machines were much more user friendly then what they have been used to in the past.  Another big hit was the customization options that you were able to use on the machines.  You could save your workouts and upload them to twitter or facebook and some of the equipment would remember you when you returned and have your workout history or favorite TV channel tuned in for your workout.

President Stanley even made time to stop by the Expo and made time to try out a bunch of the equipment.  He really enjoyed the turnout of students and variety of equipment that we had at the Expo.  He did say that ultimately the final say of what equipment was to be purchased would be left up to the Campus Recreation Center Advisory Board and the students.  So there is much work ahead for the Campus Recreation staff and we will have a lot to discuss at our next Advisory Board meeting in December.

Pres Stanley

No new questions of the week for this edition of the SBU Rec Center blog…a lot of the questions students had were answered at the equipment expo.  One cool thing to note is some of the branding opportunities that will be available on some of the strength equipment in the new rec center.  One of the companies gave us a sample of what you could possibly expect and I have included a picture of that above.

Please feel free to email me or post any comments or questions that you may have about the CRC or the recent Equipment Demo Expo.  Otherwise I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving with all your family and friends.

Watch Us Grow!!!

Steve

New Videos, walls and a whole lot more

Happy October everyone!!!  There is a lot going on with the Recreation Center that I need to update you on.  First of all we did another tour of the rec center site at the end of September…I have included the link to some of the YouTube videos we took from the tour below.  I must officially say that things are coming along and we have all been pleased and surprised with the progress and how quickly things have been going up.  In fact this past week they have begun to put up some of the walls before winter hits so that they can work on the inside of the building before it gets too cold and the bad weather (AKA…SNOW) starts.  Here is a pic of the walls that they have begun to put up.

The Campus Recreation Center Advisory board will be meeting again at the beginning of November to discuss some very important issues.  We are officially in crunch time and will be going over logistics and policies for the new building.  The advisory board will now be meeting on a regular basis since the rec center project is scheduled to be completed over the summer so that we can begin to move in and we are hoping to have our grand opening in the Fall of 2012.

The C-Rec professional staff went on some furniture tours around the Stony Brook campus to check out some of the latest office and lounge furniture that some newer buildings and spaces on campus have purchased.  I am happy to say that we have officially chosen a furniture vendor for the new Rec Center and are very close to selecting our software provider.  We have sat thru a few presentations and obviously want to find a software program that can meet the departments needs and something that will be user-friendly with the staff.

Another important part of the CRC is obviously the fitness equipment that we decide to purchase and put in the building.  Obviously we want to get as much feedback on this topic since this will be one of the focal points in the building.  The Campus Recreation staff has partnered up with several different fitness companies to hold an Equipment Demo Expo.  At the expo; students, faculty, staff and affiliates will get the opportunity to demo some of the latest and greatest equipment that the fitness industry has to offer.  We will have an assortment of cardiovascular and strength pieces from Precor, Life Fitness, Cybex, Woodway, Keiser, True, Star Trac, Octane Fitness, Expresso Fitness, Trixter, Resolute, and Ab Coaster.  The Equipment Demo Expo will be held in the Student Activities Center, SAC Ballroom A from November 7-9, 2011.  The grand opening will be at noon on November 7 and food and giveaways will be available for the opening of the expo.  The hours of the equipment demo expo will be as follows:

November 7: 12PM – 10PM

November 8: 9AM – 10PM

November 9: 11AM – 2:30PM

Please come dressed to work out and be sure to try out all the equipment at the expo.  At the conclusion please fill out one of the surveys and give us your feedback.  Your responses will help us decide on what pieces to purchase for the new CRC.  Let your voices be heard!!!

Here is this weeks question of the week:

Question of the Week:

I am a freshman at Stony Brook and wanted to know how I would go about getting a job in the new Recreation Center?

That is a great question!!  Let me answer it by telling you that the Campus Recreation staff will be having informational sessions during the spring semester of 2012 most likely in March and April.  If you are interested in working at the new Rec Center you would be required to attend one of the informational sessions and at those sessions we will give you more information about the available opportunities.  We will be very selective in the hiring process and will not need to rely on students with Federal Work Study.  We will only be hiring the best of the best.  So make sure you get down to the Career Center and start working on those resumes and cover letters.  We will be hiring our new staff at some point before the end of the spring 2012 semester and staff would be required to return to campus in the summer for training.  The Campus Rec Center will be open earlier and will close later at night, and since it is a very large facility we are anticipating hiring quite a few students.  We will probably be one; if not the biggest student employer on campus.

Another great question…please keep sending me your questions and be on the look out for a new poll question.  We have also updated the CRC photo gallery on the Recreation website with some of our latest pictures…please click here to check out those pics.  I also decided to add an aerial view from the Rec Center which I was able to get off our web cam which I included below.

Please click on the link below to get an inside look of new Recreation Center that is being built on the Stony Brook University campus.

YouTube Videos

Watch Us Grow!!!

Steve

One year and counting…

Hey everyone…Welcome back to the Stony Brook University Campus Recreation Center blog!!  We have been on hiatus for a little bit this summer but the construction crews and the professional staff have been busy working on the CRC project.  We are anticipating opening the CRC in the Fall of 2012…that means no more Wellness Center or Fitness Classes in the SAC once the CRC opens.  We as a staff our getting excited with the anticipation of the completion of this project and it has definitely been a journey for us along the way.

Question of the Week: 

Can you give us a preview on what to be on the lookout for this year with the Campus Recreation Center?

Here is a preview of some things to be on the lookout for this year.

1.  We will be having an equipment expo in SAC Ballroom A on Monday, November 7 – Wednesday, November 9, 2011.  Students, Faculty, Staff and Affiliates will have an opportunity to stop by the expo and demo on some of the latest equipment that the fitness industry has to offer.  You will be able to take advantage and see some of the latest trends and technology that other universities and fitness clubs are currently offering.  You will be able to provide feedback on the equipment that you tryout and that feedback will help us in determining what equipment we will be purchasing for the new Campus Recreation Center.  So make sure you save the date and check be here in October for more information on the equipment expo.

2.  JOBS…JOBS…JOBS!!  One thing that students are always looking for is a job on campus.  The majority of jobs on campus are only for students with federal work-study.  However, with the new Campus Recreation Center we can hire student assistants and will be very selective in the process.  We will most likely be one of the biggest student employers on campus hiring well over 200 students.  Everyone is exciting about the opportunity to work in the Campus Recreation Center but obviously you can’t just show up on the day we open and expect to find a job.  There is the hiring process as well as training that will need to take place prior to our doors opening in the fall.  Be on the lookout for informational sessions in the spring of 2012 where you can find out more about employment at the new campus recreation center as well as our hiring process.  As soon more information is available I will be sure to post it here on the CRC blog.

3.  More videos, poll questions and information about the CRC!!

It is definitely going to be a busy 2011-2012 preparing for the new Recreation Center.  But we are looking forward to the challenge and appreciate any and all input that you have regarding the project.  I have also included a link to some videos from this past summer where the professional staff from C-Rec had the opportunity to tour the construction site.  Click on the link below to view the videos.  We will also be uploading some new photos on the photo gallery later this week.  I hope you guys enjoy the videos and be on the lookout for more later this semester.

C-Rec Walk Thru Videos

Watch Us Grow!!!

Steve

CRC Steel Picture

Hey everyone I just wanted to share a quick picture with you of the future Campus Recreation Center.

As you can see…they are really coming along with piecing all of the steel work together.  On another note the Campus Recreation professional staff is planning on meeting with at least two more equipment vendors over the next month to discuss the latest and greatest in state of the art fitness equipment.  I will make sure to keep you all up to date on our progress.  Have a great Monday!!!

Watch Us Grow!!!

Steve

Gravel & Cranes & Steel, Oh My!!!

Over the past week they have been rolling the surface and flattening the ground over at the CRC site.  They have recently put down gravel on what will be the first floor of the Campus Recreation Center.  Again on the first floor is where the free weights will be located as well as the 3 court gymnasium, one of our group fitness studios and the administrative suite for the campus recreation offices.  Now that most of the foundation has been completed you can really see the lower level behind the first floor which is one story down where the Multi-Activity Court and locker rooms will be located.

The other big surprise today was the arrival of the crane and some of the steel for the building.  I encourage you all to check out the webcam as the construction crew has begun to put in some of the steel and piece it together.  Now that the steel is being put together you can really begin to see the building take shape.  We are really starting to see a lot of progress on the CRC and I know that all of our students will be surprised when they return in August for the fall semester.

Outside of the construction of the building, the Campus Recreation professional staff has been busy at work.  We are in the process of determining all of the equipment needs for the entire building.  With everything from treadmills and spin bikes all the way to basketballs and office furniture.  Obviously there are some very big decisions that need to be made over the next year, and we would like to get as much feedback as we can on many of these things.  We appreciate any feedback you would like to give us for the new rec center such as certain equipment you would like to see or what types of open recreation you would like to participate in.  Please feel free to post any comments or send me an email (steven.macchiarolo@stonybrook.edu) with any questions you may have.  We are working on trying to get potential demos of equipment out here that you can test out and give us your feedback.  We plan on purchasing state of the art equipment for our entire Stony Brook University community to take advantage of.

In regards to our recent poll question it seems that 74% of you are in favor of having some sort of guest policy for the new CRC.  Be on the look out for new poll questions over the summer regarding guest policies as well as our next poll question which will be about open recreation.

Now here is this weeks questions of the week:

Question of the Week?

I am a faculty member and want to know how much it will cost to join the new CRC and what will happen to my current Wellness Center membership?

At the present time we have not determined what the cost of a membership will be for faculty / staff and affiliates in the new Campus Recreation Center.  We are still in the process of gathering data from similar institutions and area gyms to determine a fair and competitive price.  One thing that I can tell you is that a membership to the Campus Recreation Center will not only include the use of the fitness equipment in the facility but also allow you to participate in our group fitness classes for no additional cost.  As for your Wellness Center membership we will no longer be offering a yearly membership after August 2012.  With the opening of the new Rec Center anticipated for the fall semester of 2012 we don’t want memberships to overlap.  If the CRC opens and you still have so many days remaining on your current Wellness Center membership we will obviously honor those days at the new Rec Center.  Beginning in September 2011 you will no longer be able to purchase a yearly Wellness Center membership but will be able to take advantage of our academic yearly membership for the Wellness Center at a price of $125.

Thanks again for the questions this week.  Please keep sending me your comments and questions and I will be sure to answer them here.  With construction moving right along we will be blogging more often as we get closer to the completion of this project.  I hope everyone has a great summer and thanks for reading.

Watch Us Grow!!!

Steve

The Latest and Greatest on the CRC

Welcome to the latest CRC blog entry. There is a lot of machinery and activity going on at the rec center lately. I hope everyone is taking advantage of our new live webcam where you get to watch our construction project with your own two eyes.

For those of you who have not had a chance to check out our webcam let me tell you that the majority of the foundation walls have been put up. Now that the walls are coming together you can really start to see the building take shape.

The Campus Recreation professional staff has started to meet with different fitness equipment companies and that should continue to happen during the summer. It is really cool to see what these different companies have to offer and very exciting to think that we will have some of this new state of the art equipment in the new recreation center.

The CRC advisory board has also had a couple of meetings in recent weeks. We are still finalizing some things with guest policies and storage space but have begun to discuss budgets and the judicial process for the new building. The advisory board has much work still to do and most of the subcommittees are hoping to meet one last time before the end of the semester. The advisory board is planning to hold meetings during the summer to discuss some of these hot topics.

Please be on the lookout for a new poll question this week. We will actually be having a series of questions about the guest policy and your feedback will help us when making some of these important decisions.

Questions of the Week?

1. How can my club / organization learn more about the Campus Recreation Center project?

Your club president can contact Dr. Susan Dimonda to set up a time where a member of the Campus Recreation professional staff or Campus Recreation Center Advisory Board can come in and give a presentation about the CRC project to your group. We have done several presentations over the past year but are willing to get out there and do more, to spread the word about the CRC. I also encourage you to visit the link to the Advisory Board page on the CRC website and find the name and email address of one of your constituents and contact them directly.

2. When will the Campus Recreation Center open?

This is definitely are most popular question. Before I answer this let me remind everyone that this is a targeted date and not a definite. With any construction project there can be problems or delays and not to say this will happen with the CRC, I wanted to be clear that this is the anticipated date. As of today we are looking for the project to be completed in the summer of 2012 with an anticipated opening date of fall 2012.

Some more great questions this week. Please continue to send me your questions or post a response to one of the blog posts and I will do my best to answer your questions in a timely manner. That’s all for now, I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful spring we are having.

Watch Us Grow!!!
Steve

Greetings from new orleans

New Orleans is the home of jazz, Cajun cuisine and Mardi GRAS. The Big Easy as it is called was also the host to the 2011 National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Annual Conference and Recreational Sports Exposition.

With the construction of the Recreation Center official underway the NIRSA conference was the best place to see all of the latest and greatest trends in recreational sports. During the expo we visited several different vendors from T-shirt companies all the way to the fitness equipment companies.

Myself along with Dean Bowen the Manager of Fitness and Wellness Programming at Stony Brook University were able to experience the newest lines of fitness equipment that the industry has to offer. It was definitely an informative and exciting time for us and should be an exciting time for all those that will be able to take advantage of the new rec center.

Back in New York some of the walls have been going up at the CRC and I was able to watch some of the construction right here in Louisiana with the new addition of our web cam. I encourage everyone to check out the new web cam on the CRC website and witness the growth of the recreation center from your own eyes.

We have also added a new video under the you tube section of the website. In this video we get some student insight about the new campus recreation center. It is definitely an interesting piece and we will continue to get the students perspective of things over the next year.

The CRC Advisory Board reconvened with a meeting about two weeks ago. We were introduced to the new board members and subcommittees were assigned. I will be sure to keep you up-to-date with the projects of the advisory board.

Question of the Week:

1. What kind of student employment opportunities will be available in the Campus Recreation Center?

There will be several different employment opportunities for students in the new recreation center. Obviously there will be more jobs available due to the size of the building and the anticipated longer hours. Our student workforce will increase dramatically and we will have the opportunity to hire more student assistants.

Well that’s all for this weeks post. Make sure you check out the webcam and our latest video. So long from N’awlins!!!

Watch Us Grow!!!
Steve

Cement Trucks & Smoothies

It has been a busy and productive week over at the Campus Recreation Center.  I received a text message on Wednesday from Marie Turchiano the Associate Director of Campus Recreation who informed me that there were cement trucks on campus and they were starting to pour the cement over at the Rec Center site.  I hustled over to the office grabbed the camera and was able to witness some of the growth right in front of me.  They have not put in the entire foundation yet but they were starting to work on the support areas of the building. 

In case you want to witness some of the growth for yourself be sure to check out the latest video called March 2011 in the video section of the CRC website or by clicking this link ( http://studentaffairs.stonybrook.edu/reccenter/video.shtml).  The videos really give you a cool perspective of the future home of the CRC.  The view from the Chemistry building really lets you see exactly how much space there is in between the Union and the Sports Complex.  I know that I always hear students asking how is the rec center going to fit in that space.  Once you see the videos you will know exactly how the CRC will fit in that space.

Also wanted to let you know that the Campus Recreation Center advisory board will be meeting next week.  It will be interesting to see what some of the new members have to say about the Campus Recreation Center and what their perspective is on some of the important topics that need to be discussed.  I will be sure to let you all know the progress of the CRC Advisory board and give you any updates of things related to the CRC project.  We will also be updating the Advisory Board section of the CRC website to include all of the latest members information so you can get an idea of what areas we have representatives from.  One thing that is important to this committee is to make sure that we get all areas involved and that we get feedback from students and faculty alike.

Here are this week’s Questions of the Week:

Questions of the Week:

1. What will happen to the current Wellness Center when the Campus Recreation Center Opens?

The current Wellness Center will CLOSE and will no longer be operated by the Department of Campus Recreation once the new Campus Recreation Center opens.  What will happen with that space on the third floor of the Student Activities Center has yet to be determined but most likely it would be used as a programming space for student groups.  A follow-up to that is regarding the equipment that is currently in the Wellness Center.  That equipment would most likely be donated to other departments at Stony Brook University as we are planning to have all brand new state of the art fitness equipment with the new CRC.

2. Will there be any type of food option or some type of health court in the new Rec Center?

No.  Unfortunately there is nothing in the plans for any type of health court or smoothie bar in the new recreation center.  All the universities that we spoke with that had a health court or smoothie bar in place, discouraged us from putting one in as it was not well utilized on their campuses and it was a loss space that they could have used for something else.

Well that’s it for this weeks post…two great questions again this week.  Please keep the questions coming and be sure to look for some more updates next week…have a great weekend.

Watch Us Grow,

Steve