The College decided at the end of last term to contribute $7200 toward a new "Kresge Weight Room & Equipment Project" account to match recent student contributions of $720.
Director of Athletics Dick Jaeger said the money will be used in connection with a project to move the intercollegiate programs out of the Kresge Weight Room to another location and to expand the equipment that remains in Kresge.
"What the athletics department is working on right now is ... moving the intercollegiate program out of Kresge into the west gym and renovating and refurbishing Kresge for a fitness center for recreational and casual use by students, faculty and staff," Dean of the College Lee Pelton said.
"The funding we've got so far only scratches the surface," Jaeger said. In a best case scenario the weight room project could be completed by Fall term, Jaeger said, but much depends on when sufficient money is raised.
At the end of last term, the Student Assembly placed $720 of student contributions in pennies outside the front door of Parkhurst Hall, along with 1,337 letters from students asking the administration to upgrade the weight room and make Student Life a funding priority.
"I'm glad for the response for the short term, now it's a matter of following through on progress toward a seperate varsity facility," Assembly President Jon Heavey '97 said.
Pelton said he and Jaeger "both understand that the real issue is not adding two or three more [Stairmasters], but the issue is finding more space for the intercollegiate program and finding more space for recreational use."
In an electronic-mail message to Pelton and Heavey, College Vice President and Treasurer Lyn Hutton wrote, "The source of the matching funds is the savings against budget for another capital project recently completed."
"I think it's intended to be a one-time contribution in response to receipt of the pennies," said Win Johnson, director of financial services and associate treasurer.
"We'd certainly like to hope that it means they are open to student influence and listening to student opinions," said Josh Green '00, the Assembly's vice president of communication.
"The only other issue is that we're hoping the College will make a contribution on a much larger scale," Green said.
Jaeger said money to complete the weight room project could come from an individual donor, a contribution by a class or "internal college funding and financing," which would involve paying a fee to use the weight room.
Jaeger called the third option the "least desirable."
The $720, after it is converted from pennies, will be deposited in the weight room's restricted gift account.
The money was collected by the Assembly in the lobby of Thayer Dining Hall and at the Kresge weight room as part of their Will to be Well campaign last term.
The Assembly also contributed $8,500 toward purchasing new equipment in the weight room at the beginning of Winter term and asked the College to match its donation. The administration has yet to respond to this initial challenge.
Heavey said free-weight equipment paid for with the initial Assembly contribution should be arriving soon. Cardiovascular equipment paid for by the Assembly is already in use.
