October 20 - SRC Opening Generates Sense of Excitement, Pride
Seconds after
They had waited through the photo taking session and once the ribbon was cut, that was invitation enough.
“Absolutely awesome” gushed Ashleigh Ondy, a freshman business major from Robbinsville. “When I came here for the campus tour last year, this area was a pile of dirt.”
Matt Hanson of Flemington, a sophomore global business major, said, “This is one of the most amazing things I have seen on this campus. I think this is a great accomplishment by a lot of people working together to bring this project to reality.”
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However, Perry Whitely, president of the Student Government Association, summed up the student body’s feelings in his ribbon cutting ceremony remarks. He said President Mordechai Rozanski’s vision “has generated a contagious and engulfing sense of excitement and pride” among current and prospective students and alumni. “It has given students more options for working out and participating in sports and has established a new hub for student life,” he said “It is difficult to quantitatively capture the true scope of excitement and pride that has engulfed the campus community in anticipation of the opening of this new facility.”
In his opening comments of the ribbon cutting ceremony, President Rozanski acknowledged the role his predecessor, former president Bart Luedeke, played in making the SRC possible. “The facilities renewal we are celebrating today,” President Rozanski said, “builds on and continues the significant campus improvements that (Bart Luedeke) implemented during his 13 year presidency involving a host of academic and student-oriented renovations and new construction – from the Science and Technology Center, to The Yvonne Theater, the Teaching and Learning Center, Daly’s, the admission building, and the Bart Luedeke Center, whose transformation into a student services building he led.
“This 55,000 square foot Student Recreation Center, the new residence hall and the improvements we have made elsewhere on campus to residence halls and academic areas are the most tangible evidence of our commitment to one of the most important facets of our Strategic Plain: our student-centeredness,” President Rozanski added. He emphasized that the name itself, The Student Recreation Center, “tells you who the primary beneficiaries of this fantastic facility are.”
Paul Lang, chairman of the Board of Trustees, praised both presidents. “Bringing this facility to fruition was the vision and hard work of two Rider presidents. Bart Luedeke started the process by bringing the plan to the board and starting the fundraising in our capital campaign. The vision was continued by Mort Rozanski. He found a way to design a building that met our needs and our means, and to raise the balance of the funds to construct this wonderful facility.
“After all the years of planning and endless construction meetings and deadlines, we have this beautiful building dedicated to the wellness and enjoyment of Rider students,” Lang said.
The SRC will provide students with opportunities for intramural play on three multipurpose playing courts for a variety of sports, for fitness in a 3,600 square foot fitness center with some 35 pieces of state-of-the-art equipment and for jogging on a second-level, three-lane jogging track. It has a game room, offices and conference facilities also on the second floor. The 9,000 square foot atrium, which will provide a gathering place for students and community members, features a café, a 65-inch plasma TV and lounge area.
The SRC hours are flexible. The hours are currently
