Brand New Athletic Space on Campus Strives to Strengthen Community

By: Briana DeGlopper, Contributor

When Iggys, a former dining option on campus, announced its closure, students were left wondering what would replace this large empty space. The space has been going unutilized since the closure about a year ago. President of Canisius’ United Student Association (USA), Analee DeGlopper, proposed a new way to utilize this space so it wouldn’t sit around unused.

The proposal was the expansion of Palisano Pavilion's second floor, creating an athletic

community building space. This new space will include different workout/exercise class

offerings. Additionally, this space is bookable for teams, clubs and other organizations to utilize, as well as for individual recreational use. This renovation is sponsored by USA and supported by the upper administration. This space provides a multitude of new opportunities to Canisius’ students and acts as a central area to hang out and exercise. The primary goal of this space is to bridge gaps on campus between students, hopefully connecting student athletes and individuals studying courses such as physical education, sports and exercise healthcare and health and wellness. This space will also provide an opportunity to do practicums, teach classes and lead stretches. Student-athletes with certifications will have the opportunity to lead classes, as well as certified professors and staff members to help facilitate this area. 

This new space is now open and bookable through GriffConnect and 25Live if you are interested in hosting an event or renting out the space. If you want to utilize the space, the front desk in the lower level of Palisano has an access key they can give you. This space is now open to students during gym hours. At this moment in time, there is no official class schedule, though an update will be provided in the coming weeks. The goal for this schedule is classes offered on different days of the week, including but not limited to group-led yoga, zumba, pilates and strengthening and conditioning workout classes. Any team, club or organization that wants to use the space can do so now. This large space allows you to hang out with your friends and meet new people that you otherwise might not. You can do a yoga class before your 10 a.m. class or you can go meet new people that you've never seen before, because maybe they live in a different building, or are in a different year or major. The overall goal of this space is to build connections among all individuals and students on campus. Certain details are still being worked on in terms of staffing and class times, but this is a space students can really utilize and engage with.