Time for a Change

Time for a Change
By: Chris Wiese
February 16th, 2012


The Turner Center is one of the few buildings on the Ole Miss campus that has been untouched in the past decade. With new buildings being built and many others being renovated, why has the Turner Center been ignored by the University?

 If any building needs an upgrade, surely it’s the turner center. The equipment, and the facility itself, are outdated.

 Even the facilities obvious problems continue to be overlooked, from the leaky ceiling to the uneven running track. No improvements are made, nothing is fixed. The student body is growing restless.

 Michael Wiese, a senior at Ole Miss, is one of many to voice his frustration.

 “The Turner Center has remained the same since I got here four years ago,” Wiese said. “Not one new addition to the workout room has been made, and when it rains you still see buckets around the building catching water from the leaky roof.”

 Wiese and many others around Oxford have taken their workouts elsewhere. Snap Fitness is a popular alternative.

 “Snap Fitness has been great. It is nice to have state of the art equipment and machines to workout with,” Wiese said. “It’s great not to be cramped into a tiny gym with hundreds of other people waiting forever for a bench or a machine. At Snap i am in and out.”

 Mike Wachtman, a personal trainer at Snap Fitness has noticed an increase in students working out at Snap over the past few years.

 “Every semester we get a lot of new memberships from students looking for a better workout experience,” Wachtman said. “It is surprising to have students not want to work out at their campus rec facility, but with the Turner Center the way it is I can’t blame them.”

Wachtman is confused by the way the university is dispersing their money.

 “With all the money they are throwing into other buildings around campus, I am shocked that the Turner has remained untouched,” Wachtman said. “I know the students and the people who run the Turner Center are hungry for an upgrade.”

 There is no indication that a renovation is coming any time soon. For now, the roof will continue to leak, and the equipment will remain outdated.

 “I know I won’t see a new rec center in my time here,” Wiese said. “But hopefully the future students of Ole Miss and the people of Oxford Will enjoy one soon.”