Reed History: Alumni Access to the Sports Center
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reed alumni were permitted free access to the Aubrey R. Watzek Sports Center. The pre-2020 Policies and Procedures page of the Sports Center website stated that alumni were not permitted in the Sports Center during peak hours (4-7 pm) during the academic year, but were otherwise permitted full access.
During the first years of the pandemic, alumni access was barred to all campus resources, including the Sports Center. While other campus facilities were eventually reopened to alumni, this was not the case for the Sports Center, nominally because of the collapse of its twin gymnasiums in February 2021. A “new alumni resources” page dating from this period, reads:
“Normally, the Sports Center is open to alumni, but you need an alumni card (available at the Alumni Office in Prexy) and student use takes priority. During construction to repair the damage, alumni are not allowed to access the sports center facilities. The sports center staff state: ‘Due to the collapse of the gymnasiums in 2020 and losing over 10K sq ft of programming space, and with the upcoming construction and remodeling of the facility, we are continuing to limit facility access to accommodate only our current students and community members (staff, faculty)’ This applies to recent grads as well.” (Emphasis present in original)
However, despite the completion of the referenced construction efforts, alumni are still banned from the Sports Center to this day. The Fitness and Outdoor Programs page of the Reed website states, “Alumni, guests and non-community members are not allowed access to the sports center facilities at this time. This includes grads from the 2024-25 class at this time.” (Emphasis present in original) The Policies and Procedures page of the Sports Center website is more informative, stating that “the college is evaluating future [alumni] access in light of increased use and other details. Rare exceptions are made during alumni reunions, parent and family weekend etc.”
Be warned: becoming an alumni can happen to you!