by Rachael Alaimo-Monson
Daily Lobo
The $6 million renovation of Johnson Center two years ago gave UNM students access to brand new weight lifting and cardiovascular equipment, new racquetball courts and physical education classrooms.
Now the University's Recreational Services wants to further improve the facility by adding a rock-climbing wall.
In recent years, the presence of climbing facilities on campuses across the nation is on the rise, said Jim Todd, UNM's associate director of Recreational Services. UNM is looking to keep up with the trend - if there is enough student interest to do so.
Senior Chuck McQuade teaches climbing courses sponsored by the Recreational Services department. McQuade said the courses are popular among students.
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"We only do two trips a semester, but they always fill up fast," McQuade said.
Susan Harper, director of UNM's Confidence Course, which features the University's only climbing wall, said there was one in Johnson Center in 1999, but due to a lack of interest, the program was cut.
"It really was a great thing, it provided an alternative avenue for exercise," she said. "It would be a great thing to bring a climbing wall back."
The proposal for the climbing wall will go before the Student Fee Review Board in January. If all goes according to plan, part of the money for the project will come from student fees and the rest from Recreational Services' funds.
The department distributed a rock climbing survey last week to determine the level of student interest. The surveys, available at Johnson Center, are due before the Thanksgiving break.
The survey is only one of many steps in an effort to get funding for the project.
"If students are interested, we will do what we can to give them the best climbing experience possible," Todd said.
Once completed, the wall would be available to any interested students, staff or faculty members after the completion of a certification session with trained climbing specialists.
The wall would be housed at Johnson Center.
The University already is home to two climbing walls. The first, a portable "Treadwall," is like a "treadmill with toe and hand holds," Todd said. It is used mainly to teach beginning climbers.
The Confidence Courses' climbing walls are not open to students, but are reserved for University groups and departments to build self-confidence and teamwork among employees, Harper said.
She said she would like to open up the climbing wall and other services to the community, but because of insurance reasons, it is impractical.
A climbing wall that caters to novice climbers and people looking to use it as a means to exercise would be a welcome addition to the University, she said.
"The more opportunities people have to exercise and the more options we give them, the better off we will be," Harper said.
Students will get a chance to see what climbing is like on Friday, Nov. 21, when Recreational Services brings the "Treadwall" to the Duck Pond from 12:30 to 4 p.m.
