Open to No One

The Sacred Heart athletic facilities should be open on non-school days. Throughout the week the track, fields, and gyms are open throughout the day. However, that is not the case on the weekends. I have personally tried to use the track on a Saturday, finding it safer to be at my school, where I feel more comfortable to run, than on the streets in this day and age. Unfortunately, I was turned away by the big, locked doors to the outdoor track. Gianna Camus ‘26, a girls basketball player for Sacred Heart, has also been previously impacted by this policy. When the workout gym was closed, she had nowhere else to go and practice on weekends; she explained, “I feel like I am lacking training and resources.”
Mr. Michael Dwyer, Chief Operations Officer, explained that the reason for having the athletic facilities closed on non-school days, “isn’t because the school wants to exclude activities,” but rather “because the school has a duty to protect students and others while they are on school property.” Furthermore, he explained how if every athletics facility were open over the weekends, then a staff member would need to be present in case of an emergency.
Mr. Dwyer’s reasoning raised some questions for me. I was confused about the difference between getting injured during a sports practice on campus and getting injured while practicing alone on campus. The difference is this: Sacred Heart could be liable if a student is allowed into the facilities without supervision and an emergency occurs that puts the student’s health into question.
Along with taking away a place of comfort and practice time, having a closed campus also purloins valuable memories. Some of my best memories as a middle school student were playing basketball with my friends in the Menlo School’s Gymnasium. Despite not knowing the campus or many students there, it was the only gym that I knew was open to everyone at all times. Through this experience, I found a love for basketball, I developed friendships with people I continue to keep in touch with, and I was given a place to escape to whenever I needed peace and quiet.
Sacred Heart’s closed campus policies are stripping students of possible experiences that could influence their future.