Student Center South Game Room will be open this semester, but with some major changes to mitigate the spread of COVID. | Shivani Parmar/The Cougar
The Student Center Game Room is open this semester with new rules and regulations, many students who have gone in the past will notice many prominent changes.
William Schwehr, assistant director of UC leisure services, said the changes will include hours of operation, masks being required, social distancing measures such as blocking off every other lane for bowling and limiting the number of table tennis and pool tables available.
As for occupancy, groups are now limited to five or less people for each lane and table, with a maximum of 25 percent capacity for the entire facility.
The usual options for entertainment have been limited this semester and certain parts of the game room will not be in use.
“Coin operated and amusement games have been shut down, as well as board games, until better times,” said Schewehr.
Coin operated games in the past have been a crowd favorite, so students were disappointed to hear that they would be closed.
“It kind of sucks that our options have become kind of limited, but if it’s for the sake of safety. I’ll easily look for another game to play in its place,” said public relations junior Katie Trinh.
There are many precautions that are being taken in order to maintain a safe environment while still being able to have fun on campus.
Schewehr said that team members must complete a self-assessment before reporting to work and they have to wear gloves and masks at all times. There will also be multiple hand sanitizing stations throughout the game room and self-sanitizing stations in the billiards and bowling areas.
Game room equipment is being sanitized before and after each use and patrons are asked to leave bowling balls and shoes in the bowling area after finishing. The game room is also sanitized at the close of the day and the next morning before reopening.
“We are only open to the UH university community and one must have a UH ID card for entrance,” said Schewehr. “Guests are permitted as long as they are with a UH ID card holder.”
Despite all of the restrictions and precautions, many students feel safe coming back and are looking forward to going to the game room this semester.
“I would love to go again! It’s a vibe in there. I would not mind wearing a mask at all, it’s the new norm, so I would feel weird not wearing one,” said Trinh.
Alexander Javier Hernandez, a kinesiology junior, said that he’d love to return and wouldn’t mind wearing a mask. “I would feel comfortable, I’m pretty sure it’ll be clean and ready to house people up to standards set by the University,” he said.
