Our Own Sports City

For those of you who still haven't heard about the plans of the

new, gigantic sports gymnasium AUB is planning to build on the site of the

Sea Gate parking area, this editorial will set you straight.

Given the current state of the sports facilities at AUB, I guess

all the athletes dream of an ideal sports city with all the requirements

they need to excel in their favorite sport. The plans currently under study

are the concrete manifestations of those dreams. A swimming pool and an indoor

court, both with seats for an audience are planned. This is a tiny glimpse of

the great project.

No doubt this would be a dream come true for all those who have passed

through AUB varsity teams. What we currently have is a basketball court that promotes

INJURIES, a swimming pool that belongs to another university (LAU) pool, a gravel

Running track, and a nice football field full of game through valleys and hills that form

after every rainfall.

Unfortunately, the new gym will not suit all the varsity teams..

The plans call for parking on some floors of the new facility.

Probably we should consider another side of this dream, the practcal side, by

posing a simple question: how much is it going to cost?

According to the plans the gym, without the parking, will cost

approximately six million dollars; the parking will cost an additional two

million dollars. Given our past experiences with initial estimates,

particularly that of the rebuilding of College Hall, I expect an increase

of, say, another five million dollars.

Do not worry, students. Money will not be provided by your tuition fees or at

least not by your tuition fees only. The majority of the funding will come from donors.

If we consider that the new gym will not cost the students a penny, I would

say that business teaches that resources are limited. So the more

effectively and efficiently we invest those resources the more return we

will have.

My point is, we do not need new facilities, but rather a simple

upgrading of the ones we currently have, which I guarantee will cost a

lot less than the new gym. In addition, when we decide to promote sports

at AUB, why not start by offering some sports courses? When we have a

large number of students and not enough facilities to accommodate those

students, then I think we should add some new gyms. A new gym would be

a great achievement, but I guess each person has his own priorities.