MSU-N assures students that pool will remain open

Montana State University-Northern administrators told the student senate Monday night that the university has no plans to close its swimming pool and that it would not do so without talking first with those who would be affected.

"With students at the top of the list," Chuck Jensen, vice chancellor at Northern, said at a town hall meeting Monday. "This is not a decision that would be entered lightly."

Rumors have swirled on campus that the university plans to fill in the pool and convert it to another use, possibly a new training room for the national champion Lights wrestling team. Some students have started a campaign to keep the pool open.

The head wrestling and football coaches said last week they knew of no plans to close the pool, but that one possible plan is to convert the weight room into a training room for the wrestlers, and move the weight room to another room in the gymnasium.

That was another topic on the agenda of the Associated Students of Montana State University-Northern Senate. Jensen and Northern student body President Dan Hartmann both said no decision has been made about the weight room.

Hartmann said he believes the university administration will discuss with students any plans for the gymnasium before taking action.

"Nothing will happen to the weight room without a proper dialogue," he said.

Jensen said the university administration has discussed different options for the gymnasium, and that is probably how the swimming pool rumor got started.

"It's merely a topic of conversation, what would be the best use of the facilities," he said. "Absolutely no decision has been made."

Jim Potter, university director of public relations, said before the meeting that the pool costs roughly $60,000 to operate each year.

Jensen said the university plans to convert a wellness room into a cardiovascular training room this summer.

In other issues, Northern student Jamie Bawden said students are not well-informed about what is happening on campus. The first she knew a student election was being held was when she accessed the computer at her campus job and a screen popped up offering her a chance to vote, she said.

She also complained that students have paid fees for a student newspaper all year even though the paper didn't publish its first edition until March.

Hartmann said members of the paper's staff who put out the March edition plan to continue working on it next year, so it should be published on a regular basis.

The senate discussed using the student e-mail system to notify students about events on campus, but noted that many e-mails sent through the system don't reach all the students.

Jensen said the system was originally established to use for sending billing statements but that the university dropped that idea. However, it could be used to notify students about activities, he added.

fees for a student newspaper all year even though the paper didn't publish its first edition until March.

Hartmann said members of the paper's staff who put out the March edition plan to continue working on it next year, so it should be published on a regular basis.

The senate discussed using the student e-mail system to notify students about events on campus, but noted that many e-mails sent through the system don't reach all the students.

Jensen said the system was originally established to use for sending billing statements but that the university dropped that idea. However, it could be used to notify students about activities, he added.