Kinross Recreation Center opens at new location by Veteran, Kinross avenues

A relocated gym for graduate students opened its doors Thursday.

The Kinross Recreation Center celebrated its grand opening at its new location by Veteran and Kinross avenues, just a few steps away from its previous location.

KREC’s old location was closed this year to make way for the Geffen Academy at UCLA, a secondary school for children of UCLA faculty and staff and students from the greater Los Angeles community, said Graduate Students Association President Michael Skiles.

Mick Deluca, assistant vice chancellor of campus life, attended the event and said he hopes the new gym will better serve the graduate student community.

“The opening of the KREC is a testament to celebrate the new facility,” he said. “It has been a long journey to serve (the southern part of campus), and this ended up being the perfect location.”

Skiles said the new KREC has improved amenities, including more exercise equipment, expanded functional training zones and improved locker and meeting rooms.

He added the gym is also conveniently located near graduate student housing.

“The new gym has become more functional,” Skiles said. “And because it’s so close from the old location, it’s very convenient for the graduate students living in Weyburn (Commons) and the Village.”

He said the new KREC also offers more space for recreational activity.

“In light of the relocation, the KREC was able to expand into a bigger and more functional space,” Skiles said. “The old location was a staging area and the layout was little awkward, and it didn’t have as much room.”

Graduate students who attended the event said they like the gym’s upgrades and plan to visit often.

Guanrong Hou, a doctoral student in electrical engineering, said he thinks the new gym is more spacious and has better equipment for cardio exercise.

“I’ve used the old KREC, and the new location is definitely bigger,” he said. “The old layout made the gym look smaller because the treadmills and weight lifting areas were separated.”

Aila Hernandez, a graduate student in public health, said she has never used KREC but she plans to utilize it now because it is closer to where she lives.

“I like how it’s close to me because I live south of Wilshire (Boulevard),” Hernandez said. “(I like) how it’s a space dedicated just for graduate students.”