This past Tuesday, a new building, The Cordish Lacross Center, was dedicated in honor of its main alumnus donor who gave a substantial sum of money for the building’s construction. The Center will feature not only new locker rooms for the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams but also an auditorium, a conference center, and a patio that overlooks the field. While we all certainly understand the importance of lacrosse at Hopkins, one has to wonder if this new facility — with all its bells and whistles — is entirely necessary.
Of course, it was the alum’s prerogative to decide to donate that sum of money to Hopkins Lax, but I do have to take a step back and wonder if alumni should really be giving so much importance to only one facet of the University. This new facility will only be able to be utilized by a relatively small percentage of the undergraduate population.
While the move will benefit Blue Jay athletes in general, opening up space for other sports teams in the Athletic Center, I am concerned about what happens to “regular” students on campus who aren’t associated with any sports team and who are relegated to the Rec Center. There are numerous times when the weight room and cardio-room are overflowing, yet there are no foreseeable plans to expand the Rec Center.
The point has previously been made that though there is no shortage of practice fields for sports teams, groups of students who wish to play frisbee or a casual game of soccer on a field often have to endure long waiting lists in order to reserve a spot. Though Hopkins’ lacrosse team undoubtedly helps to bring in funding for the University and to build up the image of Hopkins, I wonder how much of that funding actually goes to bettering the University for all of its students.
Sometimes it seems that the rest of the undergraduate body is overlooked in lieu of sports teams, especially when it comes to gym space. Though it is nice that Hopkins has such generous alumni, the project does seem extraneous and extravagant, especially given the size of the lacrosse team in relation to the rest of the undergraduate population.
The sports teams all had their respective places in the Athletic Center; did the lacrosse team really need their own separate facility, complete with an auditorium, academic center and patio?
It’s hard to not be disappointed that the donation didn’t go to a project that would directly impact more students and their educational experience at Hopkins.
