UNC Chapel Hill is considered one of the most prestigious schools in North Carolina, a well-respected academic school nationally, and a place of endless possibilities. You would think an institution like this invests money into their general student population and their amenities. Instead, UNC is left with slippery basketball courts, underequipped mental health programs, and recreational facilities that are confined to small spaces with often broken equipment and uncomfortable conditions.

Recreational facilities at UNC are poorly kept up with and confined in space. The Student Recreation Center (SRC) was the peak of health and fitness technology… in 1993. Nowadays, the SRC is plagued by constantly broken machines - the leg extension machine is notorious, 15+ minute wait times for machines, and everyone being so close together they are practically packed in like sardines. With all of the room over-utilized, those who are not comfortable at the gym often skip out on bettering their health with reasons listed as: “It’s scary” or “It’s too busy. I don’t like working out around people”. Rams Head is not much better, wasting space on three indoor basketball courts on the bottom level while cramming in as many treadmills as possible and shorting weight equipment on the upper level. Neighboring universities' recreation centers are expansive with many floors to incorporate different gym comfort levels and even has a crowd tracking feature to let people know when it is most empty. This is especially helpful with those who are not yet comfortable working out around other people. At a university that preaches mental and physical health, it seems odd that their physical health amenities can actually lead to worsened mental health or even deter people from going because of its outdated setup. To see what other schools offer for their recreation, please take a look at the following links: NCSU - https://wellrec.dasa.ncsu.edu/facilities/rec-sports-master-plan/carmichael-addition/ , ECU - https://crw.ecu.edu/facilities-services/reservations/ , UNCC - https://urec.charlotte.edu/facilities/university-recreation-center , UNCG - https://recwell.uncg.edu/facilities/ , Wake Forest - ​​https://campusrec.wfu.edu/facilities/indoor/#20220407174442 

Other facilities such as Woollen Gym or Fetzer Hall can be considered hazards with how dangerously slippery their basketball floors are - the dust accumulates far too quickly and many people slip and fall or pull muscles. Not only that, but Woollen needs to have standing fans to help dry out the humid air and keep the temperature at a hot but survivable limit. The university is to blame for these shortcomings.  A plan I would propose to help fix this is a three part renovation/rebuild of Woollen, Fetzer, and the SRC. Close Woollen and make that into the new main SRC comparable to NC State’s. Reopen as the new SRC, close the current SRC and add classrooms, courts, and fitness areas (similar to State’s ground and first floor of Carmichael). Reopen the SRC and close Fetzer to create more fitness areas and amenities, joining all three buildings. This is just a proposed plan that would keep a recreation center open throughout the rebuild - students are open to engaging in the negotiations to avoid losing total access to gym facilities. Some initiative by the university is better than the lack of transparency we have now.

Lack of upkeep and availability for physical health related facilities is in line with the university’s lack of mental health resources. They preach their CAPS program yet no one can get appointments for weeks because of how backed up it is, causing situations to spiral that could have otherwise been prevented had they received help in a timely manner. Student academic performance increases with mental stability and physical exercise, something UNC should prioritize. Instead of putting $51mil towards new student athlete facilities in the coming years, why not rebuild the general student recreation centers and revamp our mental health resources to help students become their best mentally and physically. While many will say athletics bring the most money back to the university - no matter how they sugarcoat their spending, the university is focused on profit not people - bettering the facilities at UNC will bring in more revenue in the form of students and donations from former students, many of which tend to end up wealthier than the athletes here.

By signing this petition, we will put pressure on UNC to renovate our campus and compete with neighboring North Carolina schools in their care for students. This petition, if it gains enough support, will lead to better physical health resources, better recreational facilities, and better mental health resources for all - regardless if you are an athlete or not. This is not meant to detract from our great teams that we all enjoy to watch and cheer on - rather, we feel the general student population should have resources comparable to other campuses, if not better.

Recreation Centers:

UNC’s recreation centers at the SRC or Rams Head do not hold a candle to other state colleges such as NC State or UNC Charlotte. NC State runs away with the best gym. Funny thing: the school we say is "not our rival" - what a fitting name. They truly cannot be our rival since we do not even come close to how well they treat their students and listen to the general population for improvements to campus.

Below are the pictures comparing the lifting spaces, locker rooms (if you can even call UNC's "locker rooms" that), and facilities at UNC and NC State:

UNC:

NC State:

UNC "Locker Rooms" for Students:

NC State Locker Rooms for Students: