Texas State Round Rock students, faculty and staff have access starting fall 2019 to recreational services.
After surveys conducted by the Division of Student Affairs showed students responded with a desire to participate in recreation, the next step was to find a facility to offer them, said Joanne Smith, vice president of student affairs.
“We didn’t really have the space to do recreational services, but were able to use the basement of the Avery Building,” Smith said.
The new “Round Rock Wellness Center,” expected to be available spring 2020, will be located on the first floor—or basement level—of the Avery Building at Texas State’s Round Rock Campus.
According to a mass announcement sent Aug. 5 to students, staff and faculty, the 3,000-square-foot space will include free weights, cardio equipment and fitness machines targeting specific muscle groups. Two individual showers, a bathroom and changing rooms will be included.
In addition to the weight room, there will be a space for group exercise classes, personal training and certification and educational sessions provided by campus recreation.
Daniel Vasquez, associate director of campus recreation, said the first floor of the Avery Building covers about 5,500-square-feet not previously open to students or the public.
Vasquez said a total of 4,500-square-feet will be used for the Round Rock Wellness Center, while the remaining space is reserved for offices of future professional and student staff.
Additionally, there is a two-acre field under construction next to the Willow Building for intramural sports and group exercise classes. The field is expected to be finished October 2019, Vazquez said.
The group exercise classes in the field will be offered two-to-three times a week Monday-Thursday. The intramural sports offered include spikeball, kickball, outdoor soccer and ultimate frisbee.
Pre-nursing sophomore Ethan Cabrera said if he gets accepted to the competitive Texas State nursing program at RRC, he would be interested in the recreational services offered.
“Ultimate frisbee is something I would probably look into,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera said he has never played the sport, but he has a friend who does and has been telling him to play.
For now, indoor fitness classes are being held in various classrooms throughout the Avery Building. Indoor classes, which started Sept. 9, are offered five days a week and include core training, circuit training and strength conditioning.
The full indoor fitness schedule can be found on the campus recreation website.
“Because we want to get programming started on (the Round Rock) campus right now, we are using classroom space temporarily,” Vasquez said.
He said the classes will shift to their designated place after the wellness center is complete.
The reason for starting services during the fall even though the center will not be available until spring is because in order to offer recreational services, students must pay the fees starting in the fall.
Smith said the completion of the field is a reason student affairs decided to begin offering services fall 2019.
The Round Rock Wellness Center will be open to the entire Texas State community, encompassing all students, faculty and staff.
Cost for the project and hours of operation are still undetermined, said Vasquez.