The MAC is back for Fall 2020 semester
The University of Texas at Arlington is reopening the Maverick Activities Center (MAC) and other departmental facilities for use by students and employees.
The MAC will reopen August 17. The facility’s hours of operation will be Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Hours will be re-assessed on an ongoing basis and adjusted when necessary.
Enhanced health and safety protocols for reopening the MAC include:
- Implementing staff training and development related to cleaning/disinfecting
- equipment minimizing physical contact with patrons
- increasing risk management, communication, customer service, and wellness education
- requiring face coverings for patrons when inside the MAC at all times, including when exercising
“These recommendations are based on CDC guidelines for reopening spaces, ReOpen Texas guidelines for fitness centers that have been developed by the state of Texas, and best practices from other well-respected organizations,” said Dax Kuykendall, director of campus recreation. “In addition, reduced capacity limits and certain restrictions have been set with recommendations provided by UTA Environmental Health and Safety.”
Fitness spaces that will be open, but with capacity and social distancing restrictions, include:
- fitness center
- weight room
- fitness center cardio room
- fitness center TRX room
- indoor track
- MAC gym 103 for badminton and table tennis singles play
- locker rooms
Spaces and activities not included on the list above will remain closed in the initial phase of reopening.
“To offset these closures, there will be a large menu of free virtual participation opportunities in intramural sports, group exercise and a national fitness and wellness campaign called the 2020 Rec Movement,” Kuykendall said. “This program pulls content from over 100 collegiate recreation departments around the country for live and recorded fitness participation opportunities.”
For the time being, Campus Recreation will implement a digital reservation system to allow patrons to view available exercise times and plan their visits. Patrons are encouraged to download the UTA Campus RecGo app or visit the Campus Recreation page to complete their reservations.
The MAC will no longer sell new community memberships but will continue to honor existing community memberships. Guest passes will no longer be sold, minors will not be allowed to use the MAC and cash will not be accepted at Member Services.
“Our top priority is student safety,” Kuykendall said. “We will continue to work to ensure all students can use our facilities while keeping them as safe as possible.”