Bill Callender and Dr. Leah Hall Dorothy

A renovation of Dixon Recreation Center considers use patterns to increase building versatility and relevance

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 3, 2019 officially celebrated the opening of two functional training studios and one indoor cycling studio at Dixon Recreation Center, which have been under construction since June of this year.  Initiated by a directive from the ASOSU Student Fees Committee to spend down the balance in building reserves, this renovation of racquetball courts is one of several recent projects executed to improve student access and usability for Oregon State University’s campus recreation spaces.

Professional guidelines for campus recreation facilities recommend ten square feet of indoor recreation space per student.  The limited 150,000 square feet in Dixon Recreation Center requires staff to be strategic about allocating space to maximize return for Corvallis’ 24,000+ OSU students. Not only does this renovation repurpose one of the least-used areas to address overcrowded weight rooms, but its central location in the facility grants easy access and its design intentionally considers future evolution.

Functional fitness is a type of weight training that employs common movements used to navigate at home, work and leisure activity. The first evolution of this growing practice was marked by the 2018 equipment installation in McAlexander Fieldhouse. This renovation further expands options for functional fitness and additionally offers combative training and Olympic lifting.  Special lighting, sound and airflow in the indoor cycling studio offer greater comfort and creativity in indoor-cycling programming, and free up other space for mind-body programming.

The new spaces experienced a “soft opening” on November 14, 2019, allowing participant access and staff observation of use patterns to further inform policy and signage. So far, the space is getting rave reviews from students.

Bianka Diaz Gaitan, Industrial Engineering, 2021 - “This is my first routine in the new studio.  Usually, the big weight room is crowded; now we have another option and it works perfectly.  As a racquetball court, this space was often empty.  This seems a better way to use it.”

Penny Boyd, Dietetics, 2022 – “It has been a great experience and has given me the ability to learn and master my lifts.  I like the diversity of the weights and having the ability to use 5 up to 20 kg bars.”

Megan Craig, Kinesiology, 2022 – “It’s a game changer.  The lights and energy are completely different - like Soul Cycle 2.1.  The turnout is already five times what it was, and people keep looking in from the hallway, intrigued.”

The ceremony recognized those who helped with the project and to provided additional detail about the strategic nature of the change. “These projects not only address immediate needs, they also link well with existing systems and improve the infrastructure for future developments,” says Bill Callender, Associate Director of Facilities and Risk Management and one of the scheduled speakers for the event.  The actual ribbon cutting was done by student representatives on the Recreational Sports Advisory Board, in recognition that students continue to be the source of information and inspiration for value-added change.

The Department of Recreational Sports provides an extensive and diverse list of sport, fitness and adventure opportunities to serve the varied recreation preferences and activity interests of the campus community.  It is our mission to support student success by creating engaging environments for student growth and success.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Tina Clawson at email [email protected].