Elizabethtown College Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being

MISSION

The Elizabethtown (Etown) College Office of Campus Recreation and Well-Being (RecWell) strives to provide purposeful programming in a state-of-the-art facility that inspires, educates and empowers students and the campus community to develop their strengths and cultivate healthy and active lifestyles.

DESCRIPTION OF FACILITY

The Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being serves as a dynamic campus hub for health and well-being at Etown College. The building is purposefully located among numerous sports and athletic fields, and combines campus recreation, athletics, student wellness, health education and academics.

At nearly 82,000 square feet, the multidimensional Bowers Center is the largest building on campus and ties in with Etown’s strategic plan of fostering a genuine sense of belonging by creating spaces to support physical and mental well-being. Key spaces in the building include:

Three multi-use recreation courts lined for basketball, volleyball and tennis.
A 180-meter Mondo surface track.
Demonstration kitchen.
Two lounges complete with fireplaces.
Expansive cardio and weight-training spaces.
A multipurpose room for group fitness.
Multiple athletic team locker rooms.
A relaxation room.
Athletic training areas.
Office spaces for recreation and athletic staff.
Cafe and study spaces.
Work spaces for peer educators and educational workshops.
Outdoor community space with a fire pit.
Human Performance Lab.

PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

Within The Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being, RecWell manages the extracurricular events and programming on campus, focusing on the holistic health of the campus community.

Intramurals

RecWell offers a variety of intramural sports each semester available for students, faculty and staff. Consisting of structured game play between other teams on campus, intramurals are a great way for our campus community to engage in physical activity and meet new people. Registration for intramurals is absolutely free, making it accessible for everyone on the campus to participate.

RecWell offers around seven different leagues or one-day tournaments each semester which range from cornhole, flag football, pickleball, soccer, basketball, badminton and more. Intramurals see roughly 600 participants each semester and the program has more than doubled since the addition of the Bowers Center, offering more sports with the extra space.

Group Fitness

Group Fitness classes are offered free of charge to Etown students and a nominal fee for Etown employees. A wide variety of over 20 classes per week are presented to accommodate a range of skills, interests and age groups. Certified instructors create a fun and energizing atmosphere with classes such as Pound, Zumba, yoga, Spinning, Spin HIIT, Move It, Tabata bootcamp, Aqua Fit, Couch to 5K and strength training. The group fitness program has also doubled in size with the addition of the Bowers Center.

Health Promotion

The Health Promotion Department provides health-related educational programming and resources to the Etown community. Events foster the physical, emotional and psychological well-being and development of students in order to facilitate student’s personal, social and academic success. Health Promotion oversees multiple areas:

The Student Wellness Advocacy Group (SWAG) is a group of students who serve the college community by promoting awareness of options and services for a healthier lifestyle. They also support and encourage positive, informed choices, believing a healthier lifestyle now will promote future well-being. SWAG provides educational opportunities on current health issues for their peers in the residence halls and within the campus community. This is done through hall programs, outreach programming or in collaboration with other groups on campus.

Nutrition Counseling is available for students interested in learning how to make healthy food choices specific to their nutritional needs and goals. Guidance is available for individuals following specific diets either by choice or need — i.e. allergy/intolerance. Tours are also provided for the on-campus eateries to help students navigate making healthy choices while eating buffet style.

The Well is staffed by SWAG. It’s a space where RecWell hosts health programs, de-stress events and informational sessions. The Well also provides multiple health options for students free of charge, such as over-the-counter medication, Band-Aids, sexual health supplies, menstruation supplies and hygiene products.

The Relaxation Room is a space to de-stress and unwind. It has a sleep pod for the perfect 20-minute power nap, space to practice yoga/meditation, sound machines, happy lights, essential oils and diffuser, hot tea, and comfortable chairs.

The Demonstration Kitchen is a fully equipped kitchen that is utilized to develop cooking skills, discuss nutrition and engage the campus community in the many aspects of food and wellness. The demonstration kitchen has scheduled programming and is also available for on-campus courses, and club and organization reservations.

CPR/Adult First Aid/AED Certifications are offered monthly by RecWell monthly through the American Red Cross.

With the addition of the Bowers Center, the Health Promotion Department has been able to diversify their offerings to include all eight dimensions of wellness.

FUN FACTS

Prior to the opening of the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being, most students had to travel off campus to find recreation and wellness opportunities. Today, the building welcomes essentially 25% of the student population — 450 of the 1,800 students on campus — each day. Within the first semester of opening, the building welcomed roughly 45,000 patrons, students and guests to the small rural central Pennsylvania campus facility.

The building is layered with state-of-the-art technology to enhance the student and employee experience while also focusing on sustainability. The building is LEED certified, which was made possible due to sustainable material selections, and energy and water efficiencies. The building also utilizes SageGlass windows that automatically tint in response to the sun to provide enhanced comfort and glare reduction, while continuing to provide unobstructed campus views.

All new fitness equipment, most with interactive touch screens, was purchased to fill the building and provide the best possible experience for all building users.

“The sheer reach and impact of this facility is truly incredible. Really, all at once, it’s bolstering the school’s campus rec, athletics, student wellness, health education and academics. It creates new programming opportunities, offers new features — it’s so rewarding to see it achieve all its goals for Etown. One thing I hope is not lost is this building is intentionally designed for inclusion and all students. We brought great focus to creating an environment that reduces intimidation and promotes inclusivity. We also helped Etown infuse a vibrant environmental graphics program that inspires students and staff while further instilling the school’s brand and culture.” — Colleen McKenna, the director of Sports, Rec and Wellness at CannonDesign

“It’s always wonderful to design a space or building that vaults an institution to a new level — and we really believe that’s what we’ve achieved with the Bowers Center at Etown. They came to us seeking a solution that would forge new possibilities for students, staff and the school at large. To hear them talk about how all of that is happening is just deeply rewarding.” — Ritsaart Marcelis, AIA and project designer at CannonDesign