Lindenwood renovated the Evans Rec Center during the summer while most students were on summer break.

On the bottom floor of Evans Commons, students can use their free time to go to the gym or do other activities offered by the Rec Center.

After about 10 years, Lindenwood decided that it was time to make some changes and renovations for students to have a brand new place to exercise.

“It was ten years old and needed an upgrade,” Campus Recreation Manager Andrew Gai said. “There was some equipment that could be switched over and a major flooring issue.”

Earlier in the year, Lindenwood made an announcement saying that the school went from Division II to Division I.

That announcement brought a lot of different reactions from students but Lindenwood also made some changes that did not go unnoticed.

The renovations at the Evans Rec Center were not part of the changes decided after the school became D1, those changes were already thought of before that announcement.

“It has nothing to do with the school being D1,” Gai said. “The decision was made in November before D1 was even considered.”

The renovations at the Rec Center are not done yet but no major changes are going to be done for a while.

“It is all up in the air,” Gai said. “It requires a lot of approvals.”

In the middle of the pandemic, the Rec Center experienced some issues with the new protocols.

Students had to follow rules, which decreased the number of people showing up at the gym or exercise classes.

The pandemic slowly going away helped the Rec Center and now more people are showing up to exercise.

“Coming out of COVID, we notice a spike in people coming down here,” Gai said.

Lindenwood wants its students to feel included and proud of their school.

“We want the students to be proud of something,” Gai said. “A nice little place where anybody who wants to come can come.”

The community also has its voice when it comes to big decisions like the renovation of the Rec Center.

“Lindenwood likes to be mindful of the community,” Emily Holmes said. “For example, if we want a softball field behind the track field and the community doesn’t want lights up there, we have to take that into consideration.”

New ideas and projects are in mind but faculty and students are welcome to share any changes or additions they would like to see to improve their life on campus.

“We are constantly looking at ways to change or add some things,” Gai said. “We want students to feel like they have what they need to succeed.”

Like junior Trinity Swift, some students were happy about the renovation of the Evans Rec Center.

“I think it’s awesome,” Swift said. “It’s good that we have updated equipment because things were pretty old.”

The Evans Rec Center is a place where students can think of something else than school.

“College is an experience,” Holmes said. “It should not always be waking up, going to class and doing your homework.”

Lindenwood wants what is best for the students.

“Come talk to us. We want to see the students and we want to know who they are,” Gai said. “Every student matters.”