Student concerns over the locker rooms at “The W” were addressed last week in a meeting between Executive Director Jim Langel, As­sociate Director Justin Jackson and Student Senate.

Student Body President Eric Benson said Senate has taken the concerns seriously by conducting several meetings and brainstorm­ing solutions.

“Jim and Justin have been very receptive to student concerns and are constantly looking for new ways to improve ‘The W’ for both community and student mem­bers,” Benson said.
The student locker rooms, lo­cated on the far side of the bas­ketball courts on the first level, are equipped with communal showers and a restroom area. Many students are concerned about the location.

“I know a lot of students com­plain that the student locker rooms are in a rather inconvenient place, especially when it comes to using the pool,” Kellee Kirkle said.

The community member lock­er room has similar facilities, but there are more showers and lock­ers than in the student locker rooms, plus a poolside entrance.

“I don’t like the fact that the com­munity members have extremely nice amenities,” Jolynn Herrick said. “Students have to fight over the two showers that are available and do not have regular use of the lockers, since some athletes put their items in there.”

Benson said “The W” staff is looking into shower curtains for the student locker rooms for more privacy, and they hope to improve the locker room situation during athletic events.

“We are reviewing usage patterns and exploring solutions to address these concerns,” Gary Grace, vice president of administration, said.

The current family locker room will potentially become the perma­nent pool locker room where stu­dents can change into their swim­suits, complete with cubbyholes for clothing and towels. The member lockers were de­signed to meet the expectations of community members and sized for their use, Grace said.

“The plan design sessions with architects were held during the 2004-2005 academic year. Stu­dents that participated included those selected by student govern­ment and representatives of ath­letic teams,” he said.

“Addition­ally, there were a couple of open forums where all students could stop by, review the plans, provide input, and ask questions.”

While students have expressed dissatisfaction with the current plan and usage of student locker rooms, some community mem­bers disagree.

“Being just out of college, I em­pathize with Wartburg students, but the building wasn’t just built for Wartburg. It was a community decision and community members are paying for it as well,” Adrian Araguas, a Waverly resident, said.

Other options being examined by “The W” staff include swimsuit dryers in the student locker room, scales in the general fitness area, designated hours for students to swim and use the rock climbing wall and late-night gym hours on Fridays. Towels will soon be avail­able at the check-in desk.