New lighting to benefit intramurals

New lights installed this summer on the practice soccer field mean intramural sport enthusiasts won't have to stop playing at dark.

Students and University officials worked together to use $130,000 in student fees to purchase and install four posts with lights, Dr. Howard Patterson, vice president of student affairs, said.

This past fall some intramural players asked the Student Government Association for assistance to find a way to get more playing time on the practice field and proposed lights, recreational facilities director Bob Hepler said.

The Student Fee Committee approved the budget for new field lights at the end of the fall semester in 2009, Patterson said.

A portion of student fees are delegated by the Student Fee Committee for different services to enhance the student life on campus.

These fees fund the Talon, debate team, and more than 15 other student life activities, Patterson said.

The lack of lighting became an issue when the University had to limit the number of teams participating in the flag football tournament last year.

There was not enough daylight to share the field with the soccer team and other teams scheduled to use the field.

"The students made the proposal themselves and presented it to the committee to let their voice be heard. It was not organized by any administration," Hepler said.

There are four banks of lights arranged around the field to accommodate two flag football games at the same time getting the most space lit as possible, Hepler said.

Jameson Adams, recreational sports program coordinator, is in charge of organizing intramurals and has about 500 students per year who participate in different on-campus activities, Hepler said.

"The field is open to all of the student body, but we have to coordinate times as to not have the lights on with no one using the space," Hepler said.

Two more recreational fields are planned to be built across Old Omen from the Cambridge Apartments to University Drive, Hepler said.

"The new trend of college student life is to have open fields for the student body to play on the green space in any fashion without any limitations on the field," Hepler said.