Shake, break and climbShake, break and climb

Portland State Campus Recreation will sponsor Sports, Recreation and Wellness Week from February 23rd through the 28th. Events showcasing various aspects of student recreation available to the campus and community will be held all week long. The best part is, for the most part, it’s free.

Monday’s events included a swim challenge in the Peter Stott Center pool and 12 free hours of rock climbing.

If students failed to catch this great opportunity, the climbing center is available to access for a nominal fee year-round.

The Outdoor Program (ODP) oversees its operation, and the center boasts 12 climbing and bouldering routes. Winter hours are Friday 3 – 9 p.m., Saturday 12 – 4 p.m. The ODP also rents climbing shoes and harnesses as well as running hour-long belay schools for the uninitiated. If the words “carabiner” and “on-belay” sound like jibberish, this is the place to translate from “Huh?” to “Belay-on!”

Tuesday’s events include an evening talk on low-carb diets and a movie/discussion on the film “Beyond Killing Us Softly” from 2 – 4 p.m. in the SMSU Multicultural Center. The movie is part of a series of films that deal with depictions of women in the media. The discussion will focus on media portrayals of women and reassessing society’s view of gender roles and body image. Both are sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center.

On Wednesday, several drop-in exercise classes will be held throughout the day, including a butt-blasting step exercise class at 7 a.m. for early risers and a Pilates class at 4 p.m. for those who enjoy their sleep. However, if students miss out on the classes this week, a far greater number of fitness classes are available year-round on a drop-in basis. Everything from belly dancing to yoga to tennis to water polo is available to students, faculty and staff, and it costs less than a latte. For current schedules and rates, check out the Campus Recreation Web site at www.campusrec.pdx.edu.

Thursday will give students more opportunities to shake their groove thang with swing dance lessons at noon. An open forum will also be held on the new recreation center at noon in the food court of SMSU. If students haven’t heard about plans for a new rec center on campus, They’ve either been living under a rock for the past year or working way too hard on their thesis.

Students will vote in March whether or not to pass a small increase in student fees to fund building costs. The new structure is being pushed as designed for students, by students, and would include a student recreation center, student housing, student artwork and student-run businesses. This is a great opportunity for PSU students to give input and be a more informed voter in several weeks. For more information on the student recreation center, check out their Web site at www.studentreccenter.pdx.edu or call (503) 725-5127.

On Friday, speakers will talk about using dance as therapy for autism from 12:30 퀌� 1:30 p.m. in SMSU Room 236. Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. There is no cure, but there are a variety of methods of therapy autistic people can use to help them reduce symptoms. The talk is sponsored by Asperger Syndrome and Autistic Student Alliance (ASASA) at PSU.

The ASASA is also involved with the Spectrum Dance Corps, a mixed-ability performance organization that allows participants to “engage in a variety of dance styles in a safe, non-competitive atmosphere,” according to their Web site. Much more information is available on the ASASA Web site; go to www.asasa.pdx.edu.

However, the crowning jewel of the week-long events will be held Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the SMSU Ballroom. A breakdancing competition will feature local DJs, 5-on-5 dance competitions and over $2,000 in prizes. For more information on the competition, visit www.amplifiedtechniques.com. PSU students with ID get in for a mere $6 cheaper than the local Regal Cinemas (and guaranteed to be more fun). The event is sponsored by PSU’s Popular Music Board, the same group that brings bands and performers to the food court and (in nice weather) the Park Blocks year-round.

For a complete schedule and more information on any event, check out the PSU Campus Recreation Web site at www.campusrec.pdx.edu.