When IU Campus Recreational Sports begins opening its facilities this school year—first with the Student Recreational Sports Center Aug. 28 and later the Bill Garrett Fieldhouse Sept. 7—they will be different than years past. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rec Sports overhauled its safety procedures for the 2020-21 school year to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
According to Kathy Bayless, executive director of Campus Recreational Sports, one of the biggest changes to Rec Sports' new safety measures is the emphasis on cleaning. Bayless said once a month, the facilities’ equipment and floors will be cleaned with an antimicrobial spray and will be thoroughly wiped down every day before and after closing. Additionally, employees will sanitize high-touch areas every hour while the facilities are open.
Chris Geary, service director of evaluation, sponsorship, special projects and events, said they are also relying on those who use the equipment to provide an extra layer of cleaning by wiping down their stations before and after use.
“We’re going to have cleaning supplies all over the place,” Geary said. “Hand sanitizer will be all over the place, wipes all over the place. We want you to wipe it down so you know it’s clean and then you wipe it down when you’re done for the next person.”
The spaces in the SRSC and Garrett Fieldhouse have also been modified to encourage social distancing at all times. According to Bayless, equipment was spaced out a minimum of 6 feet apart and was spaced further to 12 feet when possible to minimize the risk of spreading the virus.
“We wanted to have physical distancing that would be comfortable for people,” Bayless said. “We moved strength and cardio equipment into the basketball court area so we could have it really spread out to facilitate maximum capacity while doing it in the safest way possible.”
To help maintain a safe workout environment, rooms will have a capacity based on their size and available equipment. As a result of the reduced room capacities, designated “queuing areas” in the hallways outside of rooms have been created to wait in until people can enter. Rooms will be monitored by Rec Sports employees for compliance with all safety and social distancing guidelines.
“We want our employees to be very relational and also educational about the protocols,” Bayless said. “We don’t want to come off as policing saying, ‘You can’t do that, you’re going to get in trouble,’ but more an encouraging force for a safe environment.”
Due to the capacity restrictions, Bayless said only students will be allowed to use the SRSC and Garrett Fieldhouse this year.
Rec Sports is also following IU’s mandate requiring the use of masks in all campus buildings. The use of masks will be required for everyone who uses the facilities, including while working out. Bayless said the decision to require masks while exercising came from guidance from IU’s Restart Committee and medical advisors to the university, which stated that “masks don’t present a health-related hazard.”
“If there are individuals on our campus that have a medical reason for not wearing a mask while working out, then the university is basically saying, ‘You have too much of a condition and that you’re too much at risk to be here right now,’” Bayless said.
Bayless said there has been a staffing shortage due to the new safety procedures requiring new and returning hires to undergo training. She said this has led to other Rec Sports facilities around campus remaining closed. As the staff continues to grow and Rec Sports sees what is most effective in keeping people safe, Bayless said she hopes to open more facilities including the Recreational Sports Fields behind Foster Quadrangle in a limited capacity in the future.
“We cannot wait to get open,” Bayless said. “We have had a lot of people work hard to prepare everything for what needs to be done so we are safe when we do.”
