The $16 million expansion of the Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center (RFWC) debuted August 27th at the University of Southern Indiana (USI.)
The expansion includes new office spaces for Recreation, Fitness and Wellness, Counseling and Psychological Services, Public Safety, Religious Life, Student Wellness and USI Deaconess Clinic.
USI Interim President Steve Bridges said this it is the realization of a 35-year strategic plan — to build and expand a fitness and recreation center in stages.
“That's the importance of bringing these pieces together, is we see this as a holistic, larger picture of our student wellness. So it's recreation, fitness and wellness. And that was very deliberate."
The "wellness" aspect has since been added along with centralizing USI’s digital media and communications team.
The building’s multiple purposes include student access to religious activities and even a photo studio for the office of communications.
The building is now a central hub for several seemingly non-related services like a public safety dispatch center, meditation room and quiet lounge.
Bridges said all these services together in one place should be attractive to interested students and their parents.
“I think as students and parents walk the building, it could give comfort to both of those individuals that are coming into an area they're not familiar with, to know that these services are available and that we consider them important.”
He said about 70-percent of the facility overall is still for fitness and recreation — a reason for students to come to the building, and be exposed to the other services.
More info from USI
Some of the features of the renovated facility include an expanded footprint for the USI Deaconess Clinic (formerly the University Health Center), including separate waiting areas for employees and students; a meditation room and new office space for Religious Life; technology upgrades and a storm-safe dispatch room for Public Safety; soundproof offices and expanded space for CAPS; a new photography studio with dedicated video editing and sound bays for University Strategic Communication; a Quiet Lounge; expanded game room; a new front desk for the Recreation, Fitness, and Wellness area; and more.
Two new entrances at the building's north and south ends better accommodate the natural flow of campus pedestrian traffic.
The 31,000-square-foot expansion and 10,000-square-feet of renovated space was funded through a 2019 legislative appropriation. The original building was constructed in 2001 and later expanded in 2009. In addition to the new areas, the building includes three multipurpose courts for basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and badminton; a strength and conditioning area with cardiovascular machines and free weight equipment; indoor walking/jogging track; a 33-foot-tall rock-climbing tower; group exercise rooms; showers and locker rooms.