Monday, November 10, 1997
Residents sound off over removal of hoops
De Neve Plaza project nixes Dykstra Hall’s courts
By Carol McKay
Daily Bruin Staff
Dykstra Hall locals can no longer hear nets swooshing, rubber
sneaker soles squeaking mid-pivot, and the echoing sounds of
thumping orange balls.
Since the De Neve Plaza construction eliminated the basketball
court hidden behind the residential hall, those familiar sounds no
longer haunt passers-by or faithful b-ballers.
The courts are on the site of the new De Neve Plaza. And once
the construction is finished, there won’t be new courts or room for
future ones to replace the old.
Now the only courts at the dorms are located at Rieber Hall, and
not everyone is excited about this.
"Rieber courts suck," said Kirash Paydar, a first-year biology
student who has already, in his first six weeks at UCLA, discovered
the differences between the Rieber and Dykstra courts. "I used to
play at Dykstra, but now we can’t. Dykstra had better lighting and
was more convenient. You didn’t have to walk so far."
Paydar, who lives off-campus, said that the walk from Gayley
Avenue street parking to the Rieber courts is much greater than the
former walk to Dykstra.
"You get your warm-up on the way there," he said.
Other complaints of students who frequent the courts include
differences in lighting, court size and the number of courts.
"Dykstra had two more full courts," said Aarash Zarrabi, a
first-year undeclared student, anxious to get back to his
two-on-two game outside Rieber.
However, Jack Gibbons, associate director of residential life,
says he has yet to receive word of student complaints regarding the
new situation.
"I haven’t heard anything," he said, explaining that a Policy
Review Board for on-campus housing serves to facilitate this type
of discussion.
Students who live in the residence halls, suites or Sunset
Village can register complaints with the external vice presidents
of their floor or building governments, and those students in turn
report to the Policy Review Board, Gibbons said.
Dykstra Hall has an additional solution for dealing with
complaints.
April White, the construction mitigator for Dykstra, keeps
students informed about construction issues and updates, according
to Gibbons.
"She’s a communication link … and she channels student
concerns to appropriate administrators," Gibbons added.
White has already recognized student complaints concerning the
removal of Dykstra’s courts.
"It was a big loss for all of us, but we’re hoping that the
systems that replace (the courts) will provide a lot of services
that are useful to residents to help with the situation," she
said.
As construction mitigator for Dykstra, White said that there are
a number of ways students are invited to communicate their concerns
regarding construction issues, including visiting her office hours,
calling the construction hotline or through e-mail.
"(The hotline) has been really good," White said, on the success
of the various communication forums. "A number of students have
called, and we follow up with the Construction Telegram that lets
students know how we’ve dealt with their concerns."
However, White said that she has yet to hear complaints
regarding the specifics of the flaws of the Rieber Hall courts.
When it comes to formal complaints, students have yet to express
what they are so vocal about on the courts, especially in terms of
overcrowding, White added.
However, players at the Reiber courts were quick to point out
what they perceived as the flaws of the location.
"Usually here, you have to wait like two games or so until you
can get in," Zarrabi added, noting overcrowding since the removal
of Dykstra’s courts.
Office of Residential Life officials have also noted
overcrowding at Rieber since Dykstra’s unavailability.
"We definitely have a lot more students on the courts now," said
Tere Valenzuela, the resident director of Rieber Hall, "but it only
becomes a problem when students keep playing after 10 p.m."
Valenzuela explained that use of the courts is prohibited
between the hours of 10 p.m. and 10 a.m., during the hall’s
designated quiet hours. A few residents have complained about noise
during restricted hours.
"The first couple of days, we had a lot more people here,"
Valenzuela said. But set timers for the lighting, which aim to curb
late-night dribbling, apparently do the job, according to Paydar
and his court companions.
"The lighting is bad. They always turn off so early," Paydar
said.
Rieber courts’ double rims – another difference between the two
halls – are yet another significant issue for dedicated
players.
"Your shot goes in and out all the time here," Paydar said,
after discussing with his teammates the disadvantages to the
feature.
Officials, however, don’t seem to take double rims so
seriously.
"I thought the Rieber courts were just fine," Gibbons said,
adding that potential changes could take place if student interest
is high.
Gibbons said that the Office of Residential Life understands the
problem of overcrowding – "now there are fewer courts for the same
number of people" – but said that reinstalling courts outside of
Dykstra is not realistic.
"We just don’t see any space available in the new project and I
can’t think of any flat space of a large enough size (for a
court)," Gibbons said.
He did note, however, that basketball courts are available to
students at Pauley Pavilion, the Men’s Gym, the Wooden Center, and
even Hershey Hall, so hopefully players will find the pre-game
warm-up is worth the trek to the lesser-known courts.