Backgrounder: UVic Plans Major Upgrade To Athletics And Recreation
Mitch Gudgeon, UVic undergraduate student (Kinesiology), varsity athlete (basketball), member of the executive board of the Vikes Varsity Council (www.educ.uvic.ca/phed/Kinesiology.htm): “An upgraded and larger facility will help UVic recruit the best athletes to our campus. The top-notch players want facilities that don’t just look good, but also have the equipment and space to promote their athletic careers to their greatest potential. As a kinesiology student, I'm excited at the prospect of a new facility to set new higher standards for athletics, health, exercise science, and recreation across Canada.”
Tannis Peterson, UVic undergraduate student (Education), participant in a number of UVic recreation programs, student manager of intramurals for UVic’s Athletics and Recreation (http://athrec.uvic.ca/): “The lack of space in the current facility is a concern because education, recreation and athletics overlap so much. So there is only a limited amount of time for each activity to take place. With more space comes more time. As someone who schedules and participates in the intramural leagues more time means the games can start earlier—no more finishing games at 12 o’clock at night when there are no buses.”
Leo Spalteholz, UVic graduate student (Computer Engineering), doing academic research at CanAssist (www.uvatt.org/): “At CanAssist we spend a lot of time testing our products and getting feedback from people with disabilities. But the overcrowded labs don’t allow enough space and are too busy for our clients to test our inventions without being distracted. I think it would be fantastic to have one easily accessible centralized lab so our clients don’t have to go through the difficult and often strenuous task of travelling to CanAssist’s three temporary labs that are spread across campus.”
Dan Spelt, CanAssist Research Assistant: “As an employee in a wheelchair, accessibility is crucial and so I’m pleased that the project will provide more space and therefore more accessibility in the work environment. CanAssist has two departments—the Software and Development Lab and the Cunningham Hardware Lab—that are currently in two different buildings. The new project will bring the two together which is very exciting.”