Director of Athletics Michael Goldberger addressed the Undergraduate Council of Students last night regarding plans for new fitness facilities and President Ruth Simmons' upcoming recommendation to the Corporation on whether to eliminate three varsity programs.
Goldberger guessed Simmons would announce her recommendation regarding athletic cuts to the Brown community in the next week, before the meeting of the Corporation, the University's highest governing body, Oct. 20-22.
He announced that seven new machines should be in the Bears Lair tomorrow, and the University has received a gift for three or four more soon. "We'll fast track the other ones as well," he said.
Goldberger said the satellite facilities were established on a one-time gift from a parent, so they had no long-term budget. In the early discussions about fitness budget cuts, there were recommendations to shut down these facilities, which led to the establishment of the student recreation fee, he said.
Goldberger also said he plans to request a $700,000 annual budget for the new athletics facilities slated to open in the spring — the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center and the Jonathan Nelson '77 Fitness Center. The budget would cover costs of staff, supplies and maintenance in the new facilities.
He said the request will probably not be approved in full, and he added that the athletics department will likely be asked to raise more money to offset the new costs.
He said the department could bring in additional revenue by renting out facilities to different groups and community members or charging faculty and staff to use the facilities.
He said these rentals would not stop students from using the fitness facilities, though they might become busier. But renting out the pool could limit the number of hours a day students have access to it.
"Each time you do one of these things, it's going to disenfranchise someone," he said. He added that the essential goal is to find a balance between making sacrifices to generate revenue or reducing open hours to bring down maintenance costs.
He also explained his goal to set aside a block in the day without classes so athletes could take seminars, which are now typically held the same time as most teams' practices. Goldberger said University Hall had not showed much support for this goal.
"If it were a student issue that went beyond athletics, it would have a lot of traction," he said, adding that it could also benefit students who need to attend other rehearsals and group meetings.
But he conceded that not all teams would be able to practice during a reserved block because some teams — like volleyball and basketball — share facilities.
Following Goldberger's visit, UCS passed statements condemning the state of campus housing and opposing the elimination of varsity athletics teams. UCS President Ralanda Nelson '12 said she plans to begin distributing the housing statement tomorrow in preparation for next week's Corporation meeting.
