Red WOLF Center to celebrate grand opening Jan. 19

Jan. 12, 2010 -- The grand opening of the Red WOLF (Wellness Opportunities and Life Fitness) Center, 2505 Aggie Road, will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m., and an open house for all students, faculty, staff, and guests will follow immediately thereafter, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. For details, contact Martha Spack (mspack@astate.edu), associate dean of students and director of ASU’s Leadership Center, at (870) 972-2055.



“The impetus to plan and erect the Red WOLF Center came from our student leaders,” commented Chancellor Robert L. Potts. “Because of their dedication and their passion for this project, their dream has become reality. Congratulations to all of the students, both past and present, who have worked so hard to make this facility possible.”

Dr. Rick Stripling, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said, “The trend toward awareness and promotion of personal health and wellbeing is increasing on campuses nationwide. The timeliness of the Red WOLF Center construction provides an incentive to our current and future students seeking to improve their health lifestyle. We anticipate that the amenities and physical location of the facility also will increase student participation in recreation and wellness activities. We want to provide students with the best campus experience possible, and this new facility will enhance that experience for those living on campus and our commuter students as well.”

ASU’s Student Government Association passed a resolution supporting a student fee to construct and operate a Student Recreation and Wellness Center in 2007. The facility’s name, the Red WOLF Center, was suggested by a Student Union Advisory Council resolution and that name has since been formally adopted by an ASU Board of Trustees resolution.

In 1998, students at ASU articulated the need for a new student union and a new student recreation building. Student leaders recognized that it was only feasible to construct one building at  a time, and the decision was made to support a student fee to build a new student union building, the Reng Student Services Center/Student Union, to address the most immediate needs of the campus.

A student fitness area was included in the design of the Reng Student Services Center/Student Union; this area has provided exercise facilities while the construction of the new student recreation building was underway. That fitness area, which includes cardiovascular equipment and equipment and facilities for conditioning, weight training, and dance, opened in the spring of 2004.

In the spring of 2006, the Student Government Association decided to pursue the idea of a new student recreation and wellness facility. An ASU planning committee for the facility was established. This building, now realized, is approximately 85,000 square feet and will accommodate the activities of the Reng Student Services Center/Student Union’s smaller student fitness club, as well as all intramural sports activities formerly housed in the HPESS building, plus an indoor walking-running track, a multipurpose activity court, and other new amenities, including a multipurpose gymnasium for basketball and volleyball, a dance studio, free weight training and cardiovascular fitness rooms, and classrooms and meeting rooms.

The $18 million facility is being funded by a bond issue, and a recreation center fee of $7 per credit hour will be charged for construction, operation, and maintenance. Hastings and Chavetta Architects, Inc., of St. Louis designed the two-level center, and Brackett-Krennerich of Jonesboro was chosen as the local architectural firm. CDI of Little Rock was selected as the general contractor.

“This facility is a giant step forward for campus recreation on our campus. We will now have a high-quality facility that is typical for a university of our size and stature,” said Randall Tate, dean of Student Development and Leadership. Ryan Beaird, president of ASU’s Student Government Association, added, “After four years of anticipation and yellow caution tape, I'm thrilled to see the building come to fruition.” 

                              

# # #