Campus Recreation Center to close Wednesday

The Campus Recreation Center will close tomorrow, March 18, based on the standards set by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who announced that all “public facing” businesses—like gyms and theaters—have to close, due to Kentucky’s 26 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The Rec Center’s closure was announced in a campus-wide email from Co-Interim Chief Student Affairs Officer & Dean of Students Arnie Slaughter. It will reopen April 30 at the earliest.

“Please know that this action is being taken with the best health and wellness of our community in mind during the Coronavirus outbreak,” Slaughter said in an email.

Rec Center patrons can workout and retrieve locker items until 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, when the Center will close down. If patrons are unable to visit the Rec Center on Tuesday or Wednesday, they can schedule an appointment to retrieve their locker items by emailing crcmembershipservices@nku.edu. 

The Campus Recreation staff has created several virtual workouts and activities for students to utilize while the Rec Center is closed, including streaming fitness classes—such as family workouts, home workouts, strength and cardio workouts, meditation, yoga and pilates—with Campus Recreation fitness instructors, on-demand workouts to do at home, Zoom group workouts with an instructor, esports tournaments and trivia events. Details for these can be found on the Campus Rec website soon.

“NKU recognizes that the coronavirus outbreak has caused additional stress to our students, faculty, staff and community at large and that recreational time is as important as ever for our physical and mental wellbeing,” Slaughter said in an email.

If the Rec Center extends its closure beyond April 30, NKU will send out another announcement. Keep checking The Northerner for daily updates on how NKU is responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Northerner is currently investigating the impact of the switch to online learning, including but not limited to how housing, dining, student workers, labs, studios and the office of Health, Counseling and Student Wellness will be affected. For any questions you’d like to know about the decision, contact us anytime on Twitter or Instagram. For questions or concerns about how the virus could potentially affect campus, contact us or email covid19@nku.edu. Keep checking The Northerner for all updates on NKU’s switch to alternative instruction.