Nori Kato comes to campus every day, whether she’s going to class or to work in the USU as an ASI Communications Assistant. She says being in the USU makes her feel like she’s part of a unit, rather than a spectator. “Every town has a refuge, every village has a shelter and the University Student Union is ours,” she says.
The Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) was approved by student voters in 2006 by nearly 75 percent, and on Jan. 30, 2009, the USU hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate this major milestone. The center will be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silvercertified building on campus, as well as one of the first LEED Silver-certified recreation centers in the California State University system.
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The 126,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building will feature weight and fitness machines; cardio theater; a wellness center; a rock-climbing wall; indoor running track; basketball, volleyball and badminton courts; multi-activity courts; outside recreation pool and spa; sand volleyball; racquetball courts; health-food eatery; group fitness classes and hundreds of student jobs. As a LEED Silver Level building, several of the SRWC’s elements are environmentally friendly, starting with the groundbreaking itself. Pulverized asphalt from Parking Lot 11, on which the center is being built, will be reused as the SRWC’s foundation. Also, the SRWC will use reclaimed water for irrigation; waterless urinals; adjustable lights that brighten as the day grows darker; recycled lumber; and new technology – like biometric scanners – to decrease paper waste. Look for the SRWC to open next year!