2008 Woodie Awards
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Sports
Tensions rise on tennis courts
AU tennis play slows down when local school rents courts
By Anna Tuman on 11/19/07
AU is a community-friendly school, helping surrounding schools as a good neighbor or good community member would do, according to Keith Gill, director of athletics and recreation. This quality is evident during sporting events when local families come down to support the university teams.
However, it began to affect students and faculty who tried to use the tennis courts this semester, which had been rented out to the Georgetown Day School several days a week.
The Georgetown Day School tennis teams were allowed to use AU's tennis courts for practices and games, leaving AU students and faculty without courts to play on several afternoons a week.
The Georgetown Day School, a private high school located at 4200 Davenport St. and a private middle school located on 4530 MacArthur Blvd., has both high school varsity and middle school tennis teams. GDS does not have tennis courts on its campus. In order for its tennis teams to practice, they must use other local courts.
GDS was allowed to use AU's courts during what AU professor Frank DuBois labeled as "prime playing hours," specifically from 1 p.m. until dusk, when most students have a break in their busy class schedules.
"Most of us have class during the day, so it's hard to get tennis courts when we want them," said a Kogod student who wished to remain anonymous. "This team has every court occupied."
According to the GDS practice schedule found at its Web site, GDS used the courts an average of three times a week beginning in late August. Both varsity and middle school students were bussed to AU starting at 2 p.m., where they would practice on some days until 6 p.m.
"We would have to get off the court whenever they would come," said DuBois, who is a professor of international business and chairman of the Department of International Business.
Students said they were unaware of the relationship GDS had with the university until they got down to the courts at the beginning of the semester and saw them occupied by people who were clearly not from AU.
However, it began to affect students and faculty who tried to use the tennis courts this semester, which had been rented out to the Georgetown Day School several days a week.
The Georgetown Day School tennis teams were allowed to use AU's tennis courts for practices and games, leaving AU students and faculty without courts to play on several afternoons a week.
The Georgetown Day School, a private high school located at 4200 Davenport St. and a private middle school located on 4530 MacArthur Blvd., has both high school varsity and middle school tennis teams. GDS does not have tennis courts on its campus. In order for its tennis teams to practice, they must use other local courts.
GDS was allowed to use AU's courts during what AU professor Frank DuBois labeled as "prime playing hours," specifically from 1 p.m. until dusk, when most students have a break in their busy class schedules.
"Most of us have class during the day, so it's hard to get tennis courts when we want them," said a Kogod student who wished to remain anonymous. "This team has every court occupied."
According to the GDS practice schedule found at its Web site, GDS used the courts an average of three times a week beginning in late August. Both varsity and middle school students were bussed to AU starting at 2 p.m., where they would practice on some days until 6 p.m.
"We would have to get off the court whenever they would come," said DuBois, who is a professor of international business and chairman of the Department of International Business.
Students said they were unaware of the relationship GDS had with the university until they got down to the courts at the beginning of the semester and saw them occupied by people who were clearly not from AU.
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