The bowling alley, located underneath the main floor of the Campus Center, is to be closed at the end of the fall semester.

“For the past several years we have seen two trends: declining student use of the bowling alley area, and increased cost to maintain the bowling equipment,” said Jeff Arrington, associate vice president for Student Life.

Since Residence Life now provides the convenience of pool or ping pong tables in many of the residence halls, first and second year students living on campus have options that were formally found along the side of the bowling alley.

The bowling alley will still be open for certain operations, allowing ACU student groups, social clubs, departments, and other organizations to reserve lanes for events.

Additionally, the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition will still conduct two sections of bowling this semester. Video game consoles, pool tables, and ping pong tables in the area have already been redistributed to various Residence Halls.

With the alley area facing large expenses and lack of use, the school decided it was best to close the bowling alley and use the funds elsewhere.

Current plans for the future of the space include usage as a meeting place for small groups. “Once we are further into the semester we’ll begin discussions on long term plans which may include much needed space for student leaders to work in collaboration with Student Life staff,” Arrington said.

Wilson White, senior history major from Ozona, is sorry to see the bowling alley go.

White noted after meeting his roommate freshmen year they went bowling to hang out and get to know each other.

“We met other friends and it was a great experience,” said White. “Since that time I’ve gone on numerous occasions.”

Arrington, however, believes that closing the bowling alley is the right action to take.

“Across the university we continually reevaluate the way funds are used in order to be good stewards of both the financial resources of the university and the opportunity to provide transformational experiences for students,” Arrington said.