MAC To Double Student Space in Summer Face Lift

The Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) will undergo renovations this summer that are expected to boost the amount of available workout equipment by 90 percent and nearly double the space available for student recreational athletics by Fall 2004.

According to a University Hall press release, the face lift will include 35 new cardiovascular stations and 20 new weight-training stations.

Other changes will include new paint and flooring as well as air conditioning and lighting in several locations.

The proposed structural changes call for the clearing of the north mezzanine above the pool, which currently houses exercise balls and mats, for additional cardiovascular equipment.

Changes will also be made to the walls between the locker and weight rooms on the lower level of the MAC to make room for more weight training equipment.

The announcement of the MAC renovations—which some administrators estimate will cost around $2 million—comes on the heels of two recent moves to improve undergraduate recreational athletic space.

In January, University President Lawrence H. Summers and Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 allocated $250,000 to House gyms. Last week, $75,000 worth of new equipment was installed in the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center (QRAC).

But this partial renovation—slated to begin mid-June and end before students arrive for the fall semester—is a far cry from the full overhaul of the MAC that many administrators and students have been advocating for years.

A full renovation of the MAC, which administrators have said would cost upwards of $30 million, may still happen in the future, depending on the outcome of planning for the University land in Allston, according to Gross and Associate Dean of the College Thomas A. Dingman ’67.

“This does not preclude getting to the plan [for an overall renovation],” Dingman said Friday. “What’s holding up the bigger plan is the ongoing conversations about Allston and what’s going over there, and the impact that will have.”

Undergraduate Council President Matthew W. Mahan ’05 described the upcoming revonations in an e-mail yesterday as “a completely appropriate short-term solution as long as there is commitment to eventually building more varsity facilities in Allston.”

While students and administrators have been pushing for a renovation of the MAC for years, Gross said that Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby made the final decision earlier this year.

“I think this is an important step in the right direction—providing opportunities for recreational athletics and exercise to all of our undergraduates,” Gross said yesterday.

“The physical well-being of our students, and indeed, of all members of the FAS community, is intertwined with their success in the classroom, at work, or in other areas of their overall development,” Kirby said in the press release.

Mahan, who wrote an op-ed in The Crimson last month calling for many of the MAC changes that the University will now implement, praised the decision.

“I think it is great that the administration has finally put its money where its mouth is on the topic of student health,” Mahan wrote in an e-mail.

The athletics department, according to the press release, is also considering moving some equipment to the gymnasium level, which currently houses three basketball courts and several offices.

Dingman said that he was happy to see the renovations for the MAC materialize given that House gyms cannot meet student demand.

“I think students are very clear that this is a priority,” Dingman said.

The press release said construction will not impede access to the facilities over the summer, and despite some temporary relocations, the MAC will keep its regular hours throughout the process.

—Staff writer Rebecca D. O’Brien can be reached at robrien@fas.harvard.edu.