Exercise Activities and Clubs: Throwing Opportunity Away

One thing you may have heard about GW students is that we can be opinionated. Here's an example I wrote up (and it's serious).

Dear President Knapp and GW Administration,

I'd like to introduce myself as a big fan of your work in keeping GW near the top of my academic field of interest. In fact, across a broad range of issues on academia and student life, I can do so unequivocally.

But right now, I and more than 1000 other students have a big problem: the building plans for the upcoming Science and Engineering Complex, as a part of which the old K Gym on 23rd and H Streets will be torn down.

Why do we care, you ask?
Well, have you ever tried to practice Kendo in your dorm room?

As a member of the Exercise Science Kendo program at GW throughout my time here, I've been privileged to participate in the sport since my time as a freshman. Kendo, Japanese for "way of the sword", is a great way to decompress from the stress of class and work; it's given our team unique experiences and--listen up, Alumni-donations folks--will be one of my defining college memories.

After a tough period last year, the club's finally getting back on its feet with enthusiastic new recruits who'll soon be able to play for GW at intercollegiate tournaments.

Except, that is, for the fact that as early as next semester, and at the latest by next year, not only Kendo but many other EXSA classes and extracurricular groups will be without a place to practice. (I go into detail about available spaces after the end of this message.)

This will starve over a thousand students of fun, healthy social activities. There are two things that strike me as especially ironic about this:

First, one of the major perceived weaknesses of GW is lack of "school spirit". It's common knowledge that attendance at most Varsity games is anemic, and compared to most other colleges, GW-branded merchandise is not so common a sight on campus. The administration and the SA have tried for years to make GW some spirit, with what I contend is little visible result. This isn't their fault--it's because school spirit can't be manufactured. It has, like so many other forces with the power to shape society (read: the power to bring in more donations from alumni) to come from the ground up.
The EXSA classes and extracurricular clubs provide this spirit, in an authentically GW way. Yes, some folks will wave their pennants or whatever at the basketball games, and I am sure the memories of college they'll take away are as good as any of mine.
However, as the administration and student leaders well know, this sentiment is not as widespread as it should be. Kendo's been happening here for over a decade and has represented GW by playing Harvard, Cornell, NYU, Virginia Tech, the U.S. Military Academy, Rutgers, George Mason and many other worthy schools in tournaments from Virginia to Massachusetts.
To me, it just doesn't make sense to put the student groups affected here out of business while claiming that GW has to build school spirit. It just doesn't make sense to force massive cancellations in the EXSA schedule and undermine the quality of life of so many students enrolled in EXSA classes.

Second, this problem is a solvable one. Neither I nor any other student will ask that the SEC not be built, or that K Gym remain standing: even if those goals were desirable--and I don't believe they are--that ship, as they say, has sailed with the Board of Trustees' recent approval of the SEC. What it takes to solve this problem is this: a grant for EXSA and the extracurricular clubs, either of some dedicated space or of some booking rights in buildings shared with Athletics or Campus Recreation.

We are not asking for money--in fact, we as a club pay for the privilege of using GW space. Not one of us receiving an athletic scholarship or athletic support of any kind.

We are not asking for "prime" spaces during the week in Marvin, the Smith Center or Lerner. As it is today, Kendo practices happen 10-11 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7-8:30 PM on Friday, and 1-3 PM on Saturday.
Do these sound like times when any but the dedicated and committed would show up for?

We are not asking for unfair or preferential treatment for some students. Clubs accept, and we teach, all comers from the student body and the GW community.


All we asking for is that the administration and student body leaders--both inside and outside the SA--support school spirit and the long-term interests of GW.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I and many others eagerly await your response.

Adam S. Humayun

Here's the list of spaces on campus:
Lerner Health and Wellness Center: good luck booking rooms--LHWC's group fitness classes have most available spaces taken up throughout much of the week. The earliest even a few clubs can get is often after 9. Imagine for a second what the situation will be once not only Kendo, but Tae Kwon Do, Aikido and whole host of other sports clubs have to compete with a full schedule of group fitness classes...you get the drift.

Lloyd Gym at the Mount Vernon Campus: Partially blocked off, and difficult to book space in for the same reasons as LHWC. Again, this problem is only going to get worse once K Gym is torn down and EXSA classes as well as extracurricular clubs are left to grab the scraps.
(Also, the basement ceiling is too low to swing a shinai, or bamboo sword.)

Charles E. Smith Center: Used exclusively by GW's Athletics department, this facility has two auxiliary gyms that would be perfect for accommodating the exodus of EXSA and club folks.
However, there seems to be a rule that non-Varsity players can't use these basketball courts, so they sit there, unused.

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Questions? Comments? Let me know at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu.