University should extend hours of Intramural building

At midnight, the lights go out. Glory fades; footsteps echo; an orange ball bounces away. Heads held high or hung low-it matters not at all. At midnight, the lights go out.

Drama aside, the Intramural building closes at 12 p.m. every night of the week, except, of course, for Saturdays, when it closes at 10 p.m. Such a schedule frustrates many an overstressed student seeking release on the (rubberized) hardwood floor. Although personal experience is rarely enough for a generalized conclusion, I have been ejected from the I.M. building enough this semester to know that on almost any night of the week, at least 10 people are playing ball at midnight when the lights go out.

One evening last week, while returning to my dorm with some friends, we thought of three reasons for closing I.M. at midnight. First, if students don't use the gym late at night, why keep it open? Perhaps administrators believe that so few students would use the building after midnight that keeping it open would be nothing more than a waste of money. Second, the University must concern itself with student's safety. One might reasonably believe that as the evening progresses, it becomes more dangerous for students returning to the main quad from the gym. Moreover, the University must hire monitors to stay in the building in case of emergency. Students might not want to work past 12 p.m. and if they did, they would likely demand higher wages adding to the cost of keeping I.M. open. Third, if safety is an issue, and if it becomes less safe after midnight, then insurance costs would likely rise, once again increasing the price of late night student recreation.

Perhaps other good reasons exist for closing down, but they are less apparent. To the angered student ejected from I.M., all three considerations above seem nothing more than concern over money. During the past semester, Duke's social atmosphere has come under attack from various sources, including students. In response to these attacks, the administration has shown its institutional commitment to hearing student concerns by forming several "blue-ribbon" panels and convening several "town" meetings. I would suggest another way for the administration to show its commitment to students: leave the I.M. building open until 2 a.m. every night of the week.

Addressing the first objection: "Students do not use the gym late at night." From my own experience, I know that on any given night, you have to wait to play even as late as 11 a.m. Moreover, on a campus as health-conscious as Duke's, I cannot believe that if it were widely known that the gym was open that students would not use it. As to the second objection: "Students won't work past 12 p.m." At a high enough wage, the administration could certainly hire workers. Safety is indeed a concern, but closing the gym won't keep stressed students in their rooms. Finally, insurance is just a question of money.

Let's do some rough guesstimation as to how much leaving I.M. open for another two hours each night would cost. First, add $1,500 in case I underestimate in the other categories. Next, say the University must pay $8 per hour per monitor to have two monitors in the building (I suggest two instead of one to address safety concerns.) For Monday through Friday, those two students would cost $80 (2x8x5); Saturday and Sunday would cost $64 (4x8x2); the grand total for the week would be $144. Now, add $2,000 for added insurance for the extra hours. Assume 12 weeks that the building is open, and the total is $5,288.

Using its physical plant to serve student needs is the University's most fundamental way of expressing institututional commitment. No doubt the University already spends a large amount of money on its recreational facilities, but it does so at times when the general Duke community uses them. Spending money for late-night recreation when only undergraduates would likely be in I.M. would express an even more genuine commitment to the undergraduate community.

The Greek tradition called for the complete individual to have a strong mind, body and spirit. The University cannot force us to study, but they can offer grades as incentives; it cannot give us tranquillity of spirit, but it can offer us wholesome living arrangements where we can feel at home. Duke cannot force us to exercise, but it can make athletic facilities more available.