by Leah Whitcomb
contributor
Upcoming changes are underway for the Maurice H. Hall Activities Center, commonly known as the HAC. It is the one place to go for all-around fitness; it has basketball, racquetball, volleyball and squash courts; fully equipped cardio machines; an aerobics room and a swimming pool. The upcoming changes to the HAC are a direct response to the Quality of Life survey conducted every four years. Binion noticed that most students’ complaints were that “campus facilities needed attention.”
“The HAC,” Binion says, “is probably the second-most-visited spot on campus besides the Caf.”
Binion says that all treadmills, elliptical machines and bikes are expected to be installed by Homecoming.
The treadmills and the other cardio machines are seven years old; the cable machines are 15. “If someone drops a weight, the whole building will shake.” In response, new thicker flooring will be installed to replace the eight-inch rubber flooring that’s already there. The flooring and equipment will be installed by the same professionals that installed Ole Miss and other division I institutions. New furniture will also be placed in the HAC. These changes are expected to be completed some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The HAC has already undergone changes including new flooring and a new sound system in the aerobics room. The HAC walls-—previously painted a dusty red color—have been painted the school color, purple.
Binion assures, “The money is not coming out of student fees or tuition and should not raise tuition cost.” The money used for the changes is a small portion of a loan the college secured to address a long list of deferred maintenance issues. Binion says this “top notch makeover” to the HAC is to create a “safer, cleaner, better environment for athletes.”