The waitlist workout: Overcrowding at the Recreation Center

BY HANNAH BROOKS

Multimedia Journalist

The main Tarleton State University campus in Stephenville features a 72,000-square-foot (6,700 m²) sports recreation center that opened in fall 2007.

It’s no secret to anyone attending Tarleton today that the recreation center is surpassing its initially intended population parameters, leading 90.2% students in a recent poll to report that the recreation center is not big enough anymore (see poll below).

In 2019, the main campus enrollment at Tarleton was 13,176. 

According to Tarleton’s official page, “The Class of 2028 exceeds 3,000 students for the first time, up 11% from the previous high and a 45% spike dating back to 2019.”

In fall 2024, Tarleton had approximately 18,000 students, marking a record enrollment. 

This number is only set to increase and is being encouraged as the population at Tarleton grows  into what President Hurley hopes will be in the tens of thousands.

In accordance with the growth Tarleton has been experiencing, their transition to NCAA Division I started all the way back in July of 2020. 

Part of Tarleton brandishing its D1 title will be D1 sized facilities. 

For example, in August 2023, Tarleton State University broke ground for a $110 million, two-story multipurpose arena made to host NCAA Division I basketball among other visions.

This D1 title is also characterized by the school’s revenue-generating capabilities.

Meaning, Tarleton has—or at the very least, is making—the money to allocate this division jump. 

D1 schools have the largest undergraduate enrollment of all NCAA divisions and the term “undergraduate” can be most directly correlated to living on campus and using campus facilities. 

This brings us to our main focus. 

What started as an impressive and spacious Recreation Center (Rec.) in 2007 has become a strained and maxed out facility in 2025. 

This is directly tied to Tarleton’s massive population influx. 

Keep in mind that students are not the only ones who use this gym. On top of the unprecedented population of Tarleton, there are locals and alumni who purchase memberships and avidly take advantage of the recreation center as well.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see the student body taking charge of their health and prioritizing their fitness. 

What’s not great is standing along the windows by the courts, watching and waiting—sometimes for 30 minutes—for a machine to become available, possibly not even the one you wanted.

A trip to the recreation center is quickly being a standing in line experience. This isn’t ideal for students who don’t have much time to spare in the first place. 

A poll was recently run for current students, concentrating on population and space concerns. 

It was run in collaboration by the JTAC and the Recreation Center, revealing these findings. 

In the past semester (fall 2024), 31.3% of people went to the recreation center and then left because it was too crowded at least seven times. Only 9.4% said they’ve never had to leave. 

Below are the findings for the past month. 

When students were asked if the recreation center was big enough for the student population, an astounding 90.2% said no. (Pictured below)

When asked for additional comments, it read as one page of repetition.

One student summarized, “Make it bigger. The school is growing, so the rec needs to grow as well to accommodate more students.”

Now, we can only hope that along with the addition of new academic buildings, a parking garage, talk of more resident halls, a dining hall upgrade, as well as many other big money projects at Tarleton, that the Recreation Center isn’t ignored in this surge of growth and demand for expansion.

The truth goes both ways: Yes, Tarleton’s population is expanding and it strives to provide students with the best experience possible – both academically and living wise.  

This university embraces the connection between a healthy mind, body and spirit, as well as student interests. 

We see this through provided services such as the Health Center on campus, intramural opportunities, Student Counseling Services, Student Development and Mentoring, the Tarleton Transition Mentor (TTM) program, a multitude of scholarship options, and seriously, the list goes on and on.

Surely, with the obvious need for support recognized through the multitude of offerings Tarleton provides, the place where students can minister to their mental and physical health would not be left out.

So let this article be considered as a call upon Tarleton to help students adapt to the growing population and be able to hold onto the luxuries that were afforded just a few years ago. 

If we’re still paying for it in our Texan Bill Pay, we should be able to enjoy it as well as students could just a few years earlier.