Student Association recently passed a proposal allowing the purchase of outdoor equipment for students to rent and use from the concierge desk in the College Union.
SA Director of Public Relations junior Amanda Dermady said that SA is always trying to brainstorm new services that could be provided to students. According to Dermady, she and SA Vice President senior Dean McGee thought that with the weather getting warmer, students would want to use outdoor and sports equipment.
The proposal passed its second reading on March 25 and allocates $712 from the Discretionary Allocations Fund. Dermady said that most of the equipment will be purchased from Wal-Mart, though some items like the Frisbee game Kan-Jam will be purchased online.
Currently, the workout center loans out some equipment like basketballs and footballs, but according to Dermady, she and McGee "made sure [they] weren't overlapping" with those services.
Chip Matthews, director of the Union, said he hoped "the [equipment] will be in a central location where students are already used to signing out bicycles and laptops" and that the Union is always eager to support SA's activities.
"I'm glad we're able to partner with the Union and give students something to do when the weather gets nice," said McGee. "Hopefully students who use the service can give us feedback and we can make improvements over the years."
Dermady said the equipment will be available for rental as soon as possible, though liability forms still have to be approved. Students will merely have to provide their college ID and sign a form to have access to the equipment. SA is considering allocating budget money annually to improve and repair the stocked equipment.
Any students with ideas or requests for the service are encouraged to go to the SA office on the third floor of the Union. Dermady said on behalf of SA that the organization is constantly looking for new programs to try and that anyone is welcome to "bring ideas to any member of the executive board."