Fate of Barbell Club remains uncertain

Operations carry on as usual for the Barbell Club as it continues to await a final decision on its fate after learning last fall of an Athletic Association decision to take some or all of its space for the renovation of locker rooms for the women's volleyball team.

"We still don't know a lot of what's going on," said Michael Kim, president of the Barbell Club. "We haven't had a time line."

"All we really know right now," Kim added, "is that volleyball is going to take some space, but we don't know how much."

Located in the basement of O'Keefe Gymnasium, the Barbell Club has been in existence at Tech since the mid 1950s and has an average of 900 members per year.

The AA's decision to renovate the locker rooms came after an independent report compiled as part of Tech's NCAA recertification process.

The report called the volleyball team's current locker room facilities in Alexander Memorial Coliseum inadequate based on Title IX regulations.

Communications between club representatives and the administration became strained last fall as tensions began to rise. "Our communication with the administration.wasn't very good," Kim said.

"Basically there were a lot of things that were going on that we didn't know about."

For example, the club did not inform anyone before deciding to renovate, Kim said. As such, the administration offered little room for discussion.

The money the club had invested into the renovation of its facilities was one of the main points in the "Save the Barbell Club" campaign the club started last semester.

According to Kim, within the past year the club has invested roughly $15,000 into renovating the space by installing new air-conditioning and carpets. New pieces of equipment continue to be purchased as well.

However, according to Kim, the administration does not feel responsible for the club's financial losses due to the fact that these renovations were made without their authorization.

Early this semester however, thanks to mediation done through SGA, the groups met together again at the discussion table.

According to Michael Edwards, director of the CRC and the appointed administration spokesperson for the Barbell Club issue, a memorandum was sent out by Robert Thompson, senior vice president of administration and finance, to all parties as a result of their January meeting.

The memo detailed the steps that needed to be completed in order for the administration to come to a final decision.

Of the various points listed, the memo called for a report to be compiled by the Facilities Department to assess the space requirements for a new locker room.

The amount of space needed is one of the main concerns for the Barbell Club. "Once we know how much space they need.basically that will determine everything else," Kim said.

According to Edwards, anything from none to all of the club's current space could be taken, depending on the outcome of this report. It is unclear at this time whether this report has been completed or not.

The administration at this point is still in the decision-making process as to what to do with the Barbell Club space. "All the information asked for in the memo is being gathered up," Edwards said. "I don't know when the ultimate decision will come out.it is still a work in progress."

Along with the Facilities report, the memo also called for an administrative review of current Barbell Club operations. Representatives of the CRC toured the club's O'Keefe location with club officers to discuss issues of "risk management" that the club would need to address, if it does remain in its present location.

Items that were noted included loose weights, the need to maintain a tidy space to prevent accidents and the need for more safety signs.

According to Kim, the CRC also brought up the possibility of requiring a CPR-trained supervisor to be onhand during all Barbell Club hours.

The risk management recommendations could put an extra financial burden on the club, as well as add to the responsibilities of the student leaders.

The need for constant supervision of the club, Kim said, will most likely force the club to limit hours of operation in the future.

"We would not make it 24 hours anymore.maybe cut off the hours from two to five [a.m.]," Kim said. "We're also talking about a possible buddy system."

Any speculation on the future of the club would only come into effect if the club is allowed to keep enough space to continue operating as a facility.

Should it be forced out of its current space, the Barbell Club would forfeit any expenses put into renovating the area. In addition, it would be forced to sell off its equipment or find somewhere else to house it.

In the end, however, it is not the money lost that troubles Barbell members.

"We're a non-profit organization," said Kim. "If we were to liquidize and get rid of everything, our money would be donated to the charities that we already give money to." He said it is the loss of their space, and the camaraderie that the space provided, that they will miss the most.

As for SGA, it hopes that the negotiations brought about by the Barbell Club situation will help smooth the way for future occurrences.

"SGA will continue to fight for those organizations which provide the necessary balance between the academic rigor and social opportunities that Tech has to offer," said David Andersen, chair of SGA's Joint Finance Committee.

Amy Phuong, undergraduate student body president, said that the Barbell Club situation helps set a precedent for dealings between the administration and student organizations if similar circumstances arise in the future.