The UCLA Community’s Demand for Recreational Space Addressing Today’s Needs & Planning for the Future 15 Year Summary Update to UCLA Recreational Space Master Plan Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs University of California, Los Angeles February 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 1 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF RECREATIONAL PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT .... 3 1987 RECREATIONAL SPACE MASTER PLAN ................................................................................ 3 RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESULTS ............................................................................................. 4 Formal Outdoor Playing Field Areas ..................................................................................... 4 Multipurpose, Indoor Spaces .................................................................................................. 5 Indoor Racquetball Courts ..................................................................................................... 5 Pools ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Outdoor Tennis Courts ........................................................................................................... 6 Multipurpose Recreation Facilities, Southern and Western Regions ..................................... 6 Locker Rooms.......................................................................................................................... 7 Waterfront ............................................................................................................................... 7 Fine Arts Activity Space .......................................................................................................... 8 RECREATION IN 2002 ............................................................................................................... 9 CURRENT INDUSTRY TRENDS....................................................................................................... 9 ROLE OF RECREATION ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES .................................................................... 11 UCLA VERSUS COMPARABLE INSTITUTIONS ............................................................................ 15 THE CHANGING FACE OF THE UCLA COMMUNITY .................................................................... 17 CHALLENGE OF LIMITED LAND .................................................................................................. 18 MEETING THE CHALLENGE ............................................................................................... 19 TODAY… ................................................................................................................................... 19 …AND IN THE FUTURE .............................................................................................................. 20 Northwest Campus Recreational Needs................................................................................ 20 Southwest Campus Graduate Housing Complex .................................................................. 21 Sunset Canyon Recreation Center Improvements................................................................. 21 Pauley Pavilion Renovation .................................................................................................. 22 Playing Fields - Turf Options ............................................................................................... 22 FINANCING RECREATIONAL FACILITIES ..................................................................................... 23 OUR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT ............................................................................................. 24 APPENDIX – MAP OF RECREATIONAL ZONES .............................................................. 25 OVERVIEW Committed to high quality recreational experiences through education, service, and activities. The 2002-03 academic year marked the beginning of the Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs’ (CRA) fifth decade of service to the entire UCLA community – students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University. Forty years ago, UCLA established a new paradigm for university-based recreational activities by forming one of the first units in the United States that operates as a distinct student affairs department for recreational sports and activities. This department was separate from departments of physical education, intercollegiate athletics, or student union operations where recreational activities were part of larger programmatic missions and were often viewed as a secondary consideration. Since its creation in 1962, the Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs has worked to offer the members of the UCLA community facilities and programs to meet their recreational needs, in a manner that has been fully supportive of and integral to the fulfillment of the academic and public service mission of the University. Responsible for contributing to the health, wellness, development, and education of students, the department provides extensive access to a broad range of recreational facilities, activities, and services, which reflects the various extracurricular needs of the University community. At the time of the department’s 25th anniversary in 1987, then Chancellor Charles Young established a Task Force to research trends within the student body and to assess the changing needs and expectations regarding recreational activities. In the resulting UCLA Recreational Space Master Plan, the Task Force found that recreational opportunities were important to the community on several levels, and that UCLA did not meet national standards in available space. The Task Force also provided recommendations for expansion with the goal of gaining parity with competitor institutions. Over the past fifteen years, the department has addressed these suggestions in a variety of ways. Recognizing the continued lack of land, new trends in recreation, and shifting demographics of the community, the department has been quite successful in relieving some of the pressure of overcrowding through emphasizing creative programming and innovative use of current facilities. However, as student enrollment increases and as UCLA becomes a more residential campus for both undergraduate and graduate students, demands will continue to increase. To accommodate this, the North addition to the John Wooden Center was opened in July 2001, and renovations are currently under way in the Student Activities Center (formerly the Men’s Gym), Kaufman Hall (formerly the Dance Building), and the Intramural Field. A West addition to the Wooden Center broke ground in Fall 2002. In addition, the department strongly endorses the development of recreational facilities in the proposed Northwest Campus Housing and Southwest Campus Graduate Housing Complexes. As the 1987 Task Force found, and more recent research confirms, the department’s role in the University goes beyond simply providing leisure activities for the current community, and in fact plays a large role in recruiting and retaining top students and faculty, while fostering a healthy environment for the entire UCLA community. The population has become more knowledgeable 1 about the benefits of recreation and fitness and, as a result, demands access to such services, expecting them to rival the offerings of the private health clubs to which they have grown accustomed. As the size of the student body continues to grow and the residential nature of the campus evolves, the need for on-campus recreational and leisure space will continue to increase. Given UCLA’s limited acreage, this is a challenge requiring long-range planning, creativity, and a strong commitment to continue the complementary roles played between recreation and wellness, and on-campus housing as was envisioned during the 1960s when the original phase of on-campus housing and CRA developed concurrently. Likewise, due to the multiple uses of the facilities and changing trends in competitive sports, the unique relationship between Division I Intercollegiate Athletics and UCLA Recreation must continue to be balanced and reinforced. The collaborative problem solving and mutual investment between these departments will also benefit the entire campus community as many of the facilities serve as major venues for university special events. Further, with the reformulation of the adjacent “Men’s Gymnasium” as a new Student Activities Center (reopening Fall 2003), and with the continued growth of student activities in the Ackerman Union/Kerckhoff Hall complex (separately managed and operated by the Associated Students UCLA), increased coordination between these buildings and the operating units will be required to ensure the best and most efficient service levels for the UCLA community. 2 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF RECREATIONAL PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT 1987 Recreational Space Master Plan On the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the department in 1987, then Chancellor Charles Young appointed a Task Force consisting of faculty, staff, and student representatives to assess the University’s recreational needs and recommend strategies to preserve and develop recreational space on campus. Concurrently UCLA Housing undertook an initiative for a major expansion of on-campus undergraduate housing. Sunset Village was completed in 1991-1992