By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
BGSU is looking at another record for the number of campers on campus this summer.
Patrick Nelson, the director of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union and Conference and Event Services, said that BGSU could welcome almost 1,000 more Christian youth, cheerleaders, athletes, and band musicians this summer than last.
This week about 600 delegates to Girls State are on campus. Last week it was about 900 soccer players for the Olympic Development Camp for Ohio. Another 150 players commuted.
“We’re estimating 12,600 overnight guests this year,” he said.
This is for outside groups. Most university sponsored camps, he said, have transitioned to day camps.
Still Nelson has to be aware of everything happening on campus, and how many folks will need to be fed.
So this year, Girls State will convene in the Moore Musical Arts Center. Kobacker Hall in Moore is the right size for their general sessions, Nelson said. The building also has space for the band to rehearse and hold smaller sessions.
Last year Girls State used the ballroom in the Bowen Thompson Student Union, a much larger space, and a space needed for student orientation.
Orientation, noted Cecilia Castellano, vice president of enrollment management, said having students come for orientation is the final step in getting students to attend BGSU.
The university likes to get that process completed “as quickly as we can, so that they can get all the business done and they can really start to make the connections with the other students,” she said.
Students’ participation in orientation is a leading indicator of how many will eventually show up in August. So far, she said, the signs are good. Students are signing up for and attending sessions. Once here they are completing their academic schedules.
Nelson said other institutions are still running orientation sessions late in the summer.
Having students here for camps is a good way to expose them to BGSU. “They’re seeing the campus, they’re meeting the staff that are available, and then they get to see the community of Bowling Green,” Castellano said. BG is “a quintessential college town,” she said.
“Those positive experiences just continue to generate positive impressions of the brand and then keep BGSU top of mind. … So we’re thrilled that the programs continue to grow.”
That growth is dependent on having the facilities, particularly residence halls, Nelson said.
BGSU will require “55,000 bed nights.”
Those beds need to be in air conditioned halls.
So no one stays in Kreischer Quad. That’s the only dormitory without air conditioning.
The last time summer visitors placed there was in 2013 when Bowling Green hosted the International Jugglers Festival.
Nelson recalls they wanted the cheapest space, so they stayed in Kreischer. It was July. They thought better of it once they were here, and alternative accommodations had to be found.
Still during the school year, Kreischer remains popular with students. A large majority placed there in their first year chose to live there as sophomores. Its location near the arts programs and athletic facilities adds to its appeal.
The university’s master plan calls for renovating the 60-year-old facility, including adding air conditioning.
Nelson doesn’t expect any rooms there to be available until 2028 at the earliest, maybe 2029.
This summer, the completion of the renovation of McDonald Hall adds to the bed inventory. University officials had been hoping to have Kohl Hall work done for the summer, but unexpected roof work was needed.
Nelson said it would be ideal to be able to have one residence hall used for university programs such as the Presidential Leadership Academy, the McNair Scholars Program, and Upward Bound, which lasts six weeks. “When they move into one centralized location, it makes a better experience for those folks that are here long term, and it makes it easier for us going forward.”
The programs run to Aug. 2. High school band camps are among the last to be held.
Those should benefit in the future from the completion of the marching band practice and multi-purpose field. Those fields could also provide additional recreational opportunities for campers. “That’s going to be a real big asset to us,” Nelson said.
All these projects will help the university accommodate more camps on campus.
Last year, Nelson estimated the camps bring in about $3.5 million in revenue to BGSU.
Also, it means summer employment for employees of Chartwells, which runs the dining operations. Nelson estimates about 144,000 meals will be served over the nine weeks.
