This is the twelfth in a weekly series called Bobcats by the Numbers comparing Ohio University to the other five Mid-American Conference universities in Ohio.
Read the previous entry in this series about faculty demographics of Ohio MAC universities.
All six Mid-American Conference universities in Ohio have recreation centers, but Ohio University's Ping Recreation Center cost the most to construct.
OU's Ping Center cost $26 million to build. Construction started in January 1994, and the center opened in January 1996.
The six MAC universities in Ohio include OU, Miami University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Toledo, Kent State University and the University of Akron. Students who are enrolled full-time in one of the six universities can access that university’s recreation facilities free of charge.
Austin Craine, a senior studying engineering technology and management, has not been to Ping Center this semester, but he used to play basketball there about four days a week.
“I found a group of guys that we all played basketball together at Ping, so we’d meet up every day at the same time to just play pickup games,” Craine said. “We started an intramural team.”
He said he remembered Ping Center stood out to him when he first visited OU.
“I don’t want to say the Ping Center was a huge (part of the) decision, but I knew I had somewhere I could go and play basketball,” Craine said. “I think it’s good for the school. I think it’s worth the money.”
There was an average of about 13,000 swipes into Ping by students each week during Fall Semester 2015.
Katherine Kosik, a junior studying early childhood education, said she went to Ping a lot during her first two years at OU, and she thinks the cost of the center is worth it.
“I would go probably four days a week,” Kosik said. “It’s a good resource."
Stephanie Posar, a junior studying finance, said she tries to go to Ping three times a week to attend different workout classes.
“I feel like a lot of my friends don’t really go,” Posar said. “I feel like it should be used more.”
She was surprised to hear how much it cost the university to construct the Ping Center.
“I didn’t think it was going to be that high, but it’s a nice center so that makes sense,” Posar said.
Of the six universities, Toledo’s Student Recreation Center cost the least amount of money to construct at $14.1 million.
The University of Akron opened its Student Recreation & Wellness Center in 2004, making it the newest of the six recreation centers.
BGSU’s Student Recreation Center opened in 1979 and is the oldest of the six recreation centers. However, after a year of construction and renovations, the center reopened in August 2014.
