Our new rec center, part III

This is the final article in a three-part series in the Vanguard covering Portland State’s new Academic and Student Recreation Center. In this installment, we explore the various groups and services available to members.

Portland State’s new Academic and Student Recreation Center (ASRC) not only provides an array of new equipment and playing surfaces, but also hosts a bevy of classes and programs aimed to appeal to the diverse university population.

“We have the Outdoor Program, aquatics, fitness, intramurals, rec clubs—and we’re starting to work on family programming and accessibility,” said Jenny Grant, Campus Rec’s student sustainability coordinator and president of the Rec Clubs Council.

According to Grant, participation in the programs offered by Campus Rec has exploded across the board, largely due to the increased visibility and access. 

“Our student rec clubs definitely are taking off, especially now that they’re so high profile. Now, everybody sees them when they practice,” Grant said. “With fencing, we’ve had a lot of people come in. It’s changed the whole department.”

Another aspect may explain the growing number of participants in the ASRC programs: With some maneuvering, students can participate in nearly every class offered by Campus Rec for free, with costs already covered in student fees.

“You bring your own towel, you bring your own lock—that way you can use the day-use locker. You don’t have to rent a locker, and then you can do everything in here for free,” Grant said. “The only thing that has costs with it are our personal training sessions and private or group swim lessons.”  

An example of the new rec center’s cost-conscious approach to classes and programs are the new family swim nights offered through aquatics. Created for student-parents, the program allows children under the age of 18 to accompany their parents on Friday nights and weekends.

Family programming—a growing piece of Campus Rec—will soon offer more programs as well. 
“We’re starting to do open swim with families, family-specific swim times, gym times, fitness class on Saturdays for family, and then rock climbing for kids,” Grant said. 

Free is the operative word for drop-in fitness classes at the ASRC. Free from the limited space and time constraints of the Stott Center.

The move from the Stott to the new facility has given Campus Rec the ability to vastly expand the number of fitness classes offered, as well as the number of instructors for those classes.

Classes range from cardio workouts to yoga, and details about the classes are available on the Campus Rec Web site. Attending a class involves a simple process, according to Grant.

“You check in before you go to class, you get a pass [and] it’s free,” she said. “You can’t check in any more than 30 minutes before a class, so you can’t reserve your spot in advance or anything.”
The Outdoor Program, which maintains the climbing wall, hosts a variety of themed trips. Excursions and classes range from free to $460, but they generally fall within the $30 range.
The cheapest option—an urban hike—requires only the purchase of a bus pass, while students interested in earning their Wilderness First Responders certification must spend $460 to obtain it through the Outdoor Program. The winter term alone provides several options for those seeking an escape from campus. 

“We have snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, back country ski [and] snowboard seminar, rafting, Smith Rock climbing… all this term,” said David Lock of the Outdoor Program. 

Other low-cost options at the ASRC are the many clubs that are available to join through Campus Rec, though most require dues to help pay for travel expenses and equipment costs. Whereas clubs were limited in practice times at the Stott Center, dedicated space and a less-combative schedule at the ASRC has allowed the clubs to flourish.

For more information on all the classes and programs available through the ASRC, visit their Web site at http://www.pdx.edu/recreation.