The Student Activities Board is beefing up its ice rink this semester with broomball equipment and fire pits, along with the usual skates and hockey sticks.
SAB expects that the new features will attract more students to use the rink, said Director of Student Activities Kevin Boyle.
“There was a surplus in the budget last year so we bought broomball equipment,” said senior Michael Peters, director of men’s residence and campus recreation. “There will be a tournament sometime next semester, as well as pick-up games.”
Last year’s rink had issues with the slope of the quad, so this year it is going to be smaller, Peters said. The goal is to make the whole rink more useable and enjoyable.
“We’re going to put fire pits out there around it [the rink], and hopefully get some wood and place it under the eaves of the Knorr Student Center,” said Kevin Boyle, director of student activities. “So students can use them whenever they want.”
The fire pits should encourage students more to spend time in the cold and play games of hockey, broomball and general winter activities, Boyle said.
Construction should be done by the end of the semester, though it will not be open for use until after the break, Boyle said. Everything should be ready by next semester, though much depends upon the weather.
“It’ll be ready when everyone gets back,” Boyle said. “We’ll have the fire department come to fill it up as soon as it gets colder.”
This year’s Delta Sigma Phi pledge class has chosen the rink’s construction and maintenance as their pledge project, and have been responsible for helping Peters.
“We got involved last year with Deuce Morgan [who was in charge of last year’s rink],” Delta Sigma Phi President DJ Loy said. “Our pledge class last year made it their project. It helps us get our name out on campus, and everyone gets to use it.”
It’s becoming a tradition for pledge classes to choose volunteering with the ice rink as their semester project..
“The Delt Sig pledges have been great,” Peters said. “It has taken only two days to set up. This year, luckily, it has gone off without a hitch.”