The RPAC has not had to shut down because of the virus since it reopened in August. Credit: Lantern file photo.
In a welcome change of pace from the constant shutdowns of 2020, the RPAC has been a quiet source of respite for students fall semester.
Although the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 has forced students and faculty alike to remain flexible, the RPAC has not had to shut down because of the virus since it reopened in August — apart from the normal four-day break for Thanksgiving — and Marci Shumaker, senior associate director for Student Life Recreational Sports, said it will stay that way to aid students’ mental wellbeing.
The RPAC will operate under new hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate for the statewide COVID-19 curfew.
“The university strongly believes that exercise is good for your mental health, and the protocols and things that we have in place have allowed us to safely stay open,” Shumaker said. “So, there’s been a bit of a balance between the risks that are always going to be there with COVID and helping students maintain physical and mental health.”
All on- and off-campus gatherings, including those with fewer than 10 people, were banned by Ohio State Nov. 12. According to Shumaker, the RPAC has taken steps to ensure that any group-related fitness activities are either reformatted or banned until the spring semester, when they will reevaluate. Shumaker said sports such as racquetball, volleyball and basketball, among several others, effectively had to be banned.
“We typically would rent out locks and basketballs and things like that. We don’t have this available to rent out anymore, just for safety guidelines,” Kenzie Fennig, a fourth-year in sport industry and an employee at the RPAC, said. “And so now our sports shop is typically just for answering questions and then also selling things like our boxing gloves and drinks.”
As university policies regarding COVID-19 continue to be updated, Rec Sports will continue to be flexible, Shumaker said.
“When people can gather again in small groups it is our intention to provide recreation where we can safely — even if the activity has to be modified to reduce close contact,” Shumaker said.
Shumaker said all weight lifting equipment in the RPAC is spread out, and there is typically an 8-foot distance between users.
Although students were allowed to take off their masks for “strenuous” exercise at the beginning of the semester, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks are now required during all activity — except for swimming. She said some gym users were interpreting “strenuous” too broadly.
Not only are extra precautions such as limited room capacity in place, but student employees have had to make changes to their workplace rituals as well. Shumaker said all staff members complete the daily health check through Ohio State, are provided with personal protective equipment, and are sometimes required to wear both a mask and shield, depending on their work station.
“Returning to school, I was really nervous about what it would be like to work in a gym, somewhere that you could perceive as a place that can be really easy to contract COVID,” Fennig said. “I have never felt unsafe in my position here.”
The RPAC will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Dec. 23, when it will be shut down for the holidays. A daily schedule can be found on Ohio State’s Recreational Sports website.
