Northwestern’s campus is gaining a new amenity this winter. Ryan McEwen and the maintenance team are constructing an ice rink in the grass area between the DeWitt Family Science Center and Stegenga Hall. This outdoor facility will take advantage of the long Iowa winter months and will be open for the NW students to enjoy.
The rink is scheduled to be completed by December. The college will not provide ice skates, but students can go skating in whatever footwear they can find. Similar to how quickly the ice rink was constructed this fall, it will come down at the end of winter and return to grass, only to be put up again by the time next winter rolls around.
Student Government president, Whitney Erickson, is excited about this addition to campus. She describes the ice rink as a fun activity option for students and explains that this adds an option of something to do in the cold winter months. By using the cold to our advantage, the ice rink is a fun and wholesome way for students to get outside during the winter.
Julie Elliot, vice president for student life, has played a major role in putting this plan into action.
Erickson said, “We are grateful for her great ideas and execution skills when it comes to new additions like this on campus.”
The ice rink is just one example of many new features the student life office and SGA have added to our campus this year. The hammock haven, located on the west end of the green, was provided by SGA, and they also met with Creative Dining Services to improve students’ dining experience.
In addition, there are already several plans for advancements next semester. Keep an eye out for more mental health advocation, water fillers in the residence halls, more recycling bins and maybe even a crosswalk by the soccer fields.
As the latest of these great ideas, the ice rink is being built in hopes of extending the amount of time students spend outdoors on campus throughout the year.
Speaking for all of SGA and student life, Erickson said, “We are so excited for this new addition, and we have a feeling it will be a big hit with students.”
Find some ice skates, grab a friend and go stand out on the ice this winter.
