Should the Luce continue to observe the Sabbath?
By Ian Serrer
Contributing Writer
The Luce Center is used by many students on Asbury’s campus and the community members of Wilmore during the week, but a lingering question is whether or not it should be open on Sundays.
The Luce Center is open six days a week, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. During those times, the Luce is used by student athletes, traditional students and residents of Wilmore.
The question has been asked by student athletes and oth- ers who use the facilities often: Why isn’t it open on Sunday?
“I think the Luce should be open for at least a part of the day,” senior Ryan Grant said. “I truly believe that if it were open later in the day, students and the community would utilize it.”
Senior Seth Van Der Eems brought up the problem of work schedules and costs of having things operating longer than normal. He did not think that having the Luce open on Sunday afternoons would benefit anyone but would just be a hassle to the staff.
Tay Brandt, a Luce regular, said, “Having the Luce Center open on Sundays does not promote a Sabbath day of rest.” Brandt continued by saying, “I wouldn’t mind the Luce being open, but it would defeat the purpose of a day of rest.”
This day of rest is something that is stressed on our campus and in Christianity. Many students feel like they should be able to spend their Sabbaths how they want, whether that is in the Luce or in their rooms. On the other side, as Brandt pointed out, it defeats the point of a day of rest if students are at the Luce.
However, senior Sarah Butwin said, “If we can’t have Chick-Fil-A on Sundays, we could at least utilize the few re- sources this small town has.” Butwin thought that it was odd that the facilities were not open on Sundays.
Senior Arlie Martin, chair of the academic and institutional issues committee for Asbury’s Student Congress, recently wrote a proposal on why the Luce should be open on Sundays and had much to say about the issue. “I hope that having this facility open will serve students as a place to build community in more healthy ways,” she said. “It would be available for workouts in addition to group games like pick- up basketball and soccer.”
Martin added that “the proposal suggests that the Luce Center be open on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Surveys were taken by students, and 60 percent said that they would like to see it be open and would use it regularly. I talked to the building supervisor, Lee Rainwater, and he said that he was open to the possibility.”
Butwin said, “I am excited to see what direction the Luce takes, but I will be fine with whatever decision is made.”