MAC To Close Doors For All of Next Spring

Shape up or ship out. The Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) will close its doors for renovations all of next spring, keeping gym enthusiasts out from February until September.

“The [MAC] will undergo a much needed, thorough renovation of its infrastructure, including replacing plumbing, renovating bathrooms, installing sprinklers, and improving accessibility,” wrote Robert Mitchell, Faculty of Arts and Sciences director of communications, in an e-mail.

According to Mitchell, the renovations to the MAC in 2004 provided program spaces but did not address infrastructure. Renovations are scheduled to be finished in September 2007.

Jennifer S. Love ’09 said that because she already finds it “a bit of a pain” to go to other gyms when the MAC closes occasionally, the prolonged closing starting February may prove to be a greater annoyance.

Love said she also expects the upcoming closing to inconvenience other students.

“It’s generally crowded the times I go, and because they hold all the speciality classes there, I think a lot of people will be frustrated,” Love said.

But Nate J. Lubin ’09, who worked out at the MAC once or twice every week last year, said that the personal inconvenience to him was justified.

“I can do other things,” Lubin said. ”They’re improving campus, so they have to do that.”

Aside from students’ personal workout schedules, the renovations will affect Intramural (IM) competition schedules, especially winter and spring sports.

MAC Manager of Recreational Services Jake P. Olkkola said that IM schedules would be adjusted to accommodate the MAC’s closing. For example, winter basketball would instead be played in the fall.

“We don’t want to let anyone miss out on the IM experience since we think it’s an important one, so we’re doing everything we can to make sure that we’re getting all the sports in,” Olkkola said. “We’re taking the calendar and making the calendar work in our favor.”

According to Director of Athletic Communications Chuck V. Sullivan, a committee is meeting frequently to address changes that will occur as a result of the building renovation.

—Staff writer Elaine Chen can be reached at chen23@fas.harvard.edu.