Every time I see the motionless water of the AU Rec Center swimming pool, I can’t help but want to jump in it and cause a parade of ripples throughout the large body of water.

There is one problem associated with this desire, however. Students cannot go in the pool at their own leisure—one can only swim within the specified pool hours.

As if it is a seperate entity, the swimming pool hours for Rec center members are strictly set at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. Fridays have similar pool hours, but instead close at 9 p.m. Finally, weekend hours allow the pool to be open until 9 p.m., with it opening at noon on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Looking at these pool hours as a whole, they may seem relatively reasonable, giving you an ample amount of pool-time throughout a given week. Regardless, however, as a non-athletic regular person I prefer some of the simple things in life, including an enjoyable dip in the pool. Unfortunately, sometimes I am prevented from swimming because of the pool’s priorities above me for swim meets, practices, events, or even occasional unspecified closings.

While I understand these conflicting times might appear to be miniscule in the wide spectrum of collegiate inconveniences, I want to make the point that if I want to recreationally partake in any other sport, I can do so whenever I want.

Think about it. All attributes of skill aside, I can practice basketball, baseball, soccer, football, floor hockey, volleyball, running, or free weights whenever I want while the rec is open. There are two complete basketball courts free for use by Rec members at all times, with the occasional exception of intramural use. There is also the IM Field behind the rec center which can be utilized nearly any time for football, Frisbee, or baseball / softball use. Additionally, three sand-volleyball courts throughout campus make it even easier to partake in athleticism. The Kilhefner basketball court is another additional possibility outside.

So with all of these locations and athletic resources on campus, I have the capability to play nearly any sport at nearly any time. The one exception? Swimming. As an AU student I can only swim at the Rec during the aforementioned pool hours. This seems to be the only physical activity whose same setting is utilized by AU Athletics and your average Joe.

The solution to the double-dipped time constraints of the high-demand Rec center pool is unknown. Certainly I am not suggesting that the university pursues another loan to purchase an additional swimming pool for regular students—but there must be something that can be done for students to swim at 4 p.m. during the week.

There is nothing quite worse than making the walk over to the Rec with intentions to swim only to find out that you are unable to do so. Nevertheless, there is not a clear solution to the wide use of the AU swimming pool other than being cognizant of the hours. In the meantime I will stay dry from chlorine while the pool is in reserved use.