For those students who want to roll out of bed on their summer Saturday afternoons and grab a cup of coffee, scale the rock-climbing wall or check out a library book, think again. Many campus services, including the University Health Center and the EMU, will be open less as an adjustment to the decrease in business once the school year ends.
The University Health Center will not be open over summer weekends. As a result, when students call during those times to contact a health care professional for advice, they will be transferred to a representative at the Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle, Wash.
Bob Petit, an administrator with the health center, estimated that about 3,000 students take advantage of the services the health center offers over the summer, as opposed to more than 12,000 who use the center during the academic year.
“It is a different flow,” Petit said. “The student body we are serving is much smaller.”
The health center will close when the summer term ends Sept. 7 and will reopen when fall term begins Sept. 18.
The Student Recreation Center’s hours will also change for the summer. Drew Gilliland, the assistant director of Physical Activity and Recreation Services, said the recreation center usually sees a 60 percent drop in the number of students using its services.
“There’s not much wait to get on a piece of equipment during the summer,” Gilliland said.
For students who are not taking classes but are enrolled in the University, or for students who have just graduated, there is a $25 summer rate to use the recreation center. Gilliland said PARS is hoping to sell about 1,000 passes. While there will be no intramural activities offered, physical education classes will still be available during the summer term. Gilliland recommended registering early for popular classes such as rock-climbing and yoga.
He said there will be more open pool hours for lap swimming and open recreation swim, and the student tennis center will also remain open during the summer.
The EMU food services during summer will also be limited in terms of variety, hours and days of operation. All food services will be closed June 16 and 17, and the Cyber CafŽ and the Marketplace will be closed for the summer. The EMU building will be closed on weekends.
EMU Food Service Director John Costello said use of EMU food services is about 65 percent slower in the summer than during the school year. He added that there is also a proportionate decrease in the number of employees who staff the food services.
While the EMU food services lose money during the summer, Costello said, they also have an obligation to provide services to students and faculty who are still on campus.
EMU Director Dusty Miller said the EMU will be busy during IntroDUCKtion sessions this summer.
“We try to show for those students and parents who are visiting the University the services and programs that they can choose from or that are here to help them,” he said.
The Knight Library will also be trimming back its hours, even though people will still be taking advantage of its services.
Audra Loyal, billing coordinator with the Knight Library, said some students will frequent the library because of summer term, as will many community members. Loyal also said all the information and resource desks will be fully staffed.
“It is nice when it is quiet,” she said. “But at the same time it can be a little boring.”