In an interview with Student Life on Dec. 10, Athletic Director John Schael acknowledged that internal discussions continue about building a new athletic complex to better serve campus.

Schael hopes that Washington University will eventually house a state of the art building, complete with an indoor tennis and track facility, sports medicine facilities, updated classrooms and multipurpose spaces as well as new pools, gymnasiums, and exercise and weight equipment. This face-lift is well past due at an institution that prides itself on the continual construction of new facilities.

We feel that in order for Schael’s hopes to take form, the University community needs to show that improvements to the University athletic facilities are a high priority.

Students must show that they will use new facilities by taking advantage of the athletic options already available at the University. In addition to the classes offered by the athletic department, we ought to make good use of the McWilliams Fitness Center and validate the Student Union decision to subsidize gym membership. Showing that the entire student body is committed to the use athletic facilities may go a long way toward convincing the University to rebuild the AC sooner rather than later.

We should also demonstrate our support for intercollegiate athletics in order to encourage the University to build new facilities that will benefit varsity athletes and the University at large. Washington University is by all means a Division III powerhouse whose athletes play in one of the top conferences in the division and consistently compete in national championships across all sports.

Alumni also can accelerate these plans. Increased membership in the W Club—a group of alumni and friends who donate to the athletic department—would show that people pay attention to Washington University intercollegiate athletics well after graduation. And increased donations designated specifically for improvement of the athletic facilities would help make the long-term goal a reality.

While the long-term plan outlined by Schael for improvements to the AC sounds ideal, we must show that these new facilities will not only be appreciated but also used to their full capacity.

We also cannot stress enough the importance of these renovations. Students consistently complain about old and unvaried equipment at the McWilliams Fitness Center, about inconvenient pool hours and a dearth of spaces in which club sports teams can practice. Peer institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University and Emory University, maintain state of the art athletic facilities that are the centerpiece of campus tours; ours are often skipped when prospective freshmen see the campus.

A sound mind exists in a sound body, and there is no doubt that we could all benefit from a better space in which to exercise the latter. It’s high time for both the student body and the community at large to get behind Schael’s aspirations.