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Cave DwellersExploring the depths of the Student Union Building
By Lauren Elder
Baylor's Student Union Building has been a vital part of the campus community since its completion in 1947. Inside the SUB's four stories, you will find the offices of numerous student organizations and Baylor staff as well as stately drawing rooms and food and coffee kiosks. Unknown to some, the SUB also houses a game room and bowling center, located in the basement "Cave," accessible only by one back stairway in the corner of the building. The bowling facilities have drawn recent attention because of aging mechanical equipment, and a January story in the Baylor Lariat even suggested that the bowling center might be nearing its end. So will it be a strike or a gutter ball for the Cave?
 Situated behind a group of pool tables in the Cave, Baylor's bowling center looks much like any typical bowling alley, complete with a shoe counter, ball racks, and six bowling lanes; the only things missing are electronic scoreboards. The basement center—called the Cave because of its low ceilings and windowless walls—was retrofitted to the building during the 1947-48 school year. Countless students, faculty, and community members enjoyed the original, non-mechanical bowling lanes until 1961 when, as part of a renovation, Student Activities purchased the automated system—Brunswick A2 pinsetters—still being used today.
Even a well-kept machine shows signs of wear and tear at fifty-plus years; such has been the fate of the bowling center's pinsetters. A high level of use, coming primarily from the steady stream of students taking bowling as a human performance course, has caused the number of breakdowns and mechanical-related delays to rise sharply. "The lifespan of a system of this nature is pretty significant," says Matt Burchett '01, the director of Baylor's Department of Student Activities. "It's been a very durable system from all that we can tell."
This semester, the Health, Human Performance, and Recreation Department (HHPR) reduced the number of course sections offered in an effort to alleviate those problems. "We are taking some additional steps to address some of the mechanical issues," Burchett says. "We've had a number of people come out and do assessments and see what, or if, anything can be done to make sure that the bowling center is running at its appropriate level of performance." The main goal of both HHPR and Student Activities is to ensure that students continue to have a positive and enriching experience at the bowling center.
For Burchett, the lanes are representative of the SUB's atmosphere. "It has just enough modern conveniences to where we all feel comfortable and connected . . . but you tie that into just enough of the original character of the building," he says. The bowling center—along with the Cave's pool tables and games—have been used by thousands of students over the years, and student groups continue to book the basement for functions. The walls of the SUB are adorned with pictures of student bowlers from the 1950s. If you were to take a picture of those lanes today, they would look the same. And no automated scoring system means that students still learn how to count their own score. Generations of Bears from the same family have bowled those lanes. That, Burchett says, is why the SUB is so special to him and why he is dedicated to making sure that students today continue to bowl in the Cave.
As for plans to close the facility, Burchett says absolutely not. "Number one, it's beneficial to the social experience of students to have a bowling center in the Union Building," he says, also citing the popularity of bowling as a PE credit. "So I can't foresee shutting it down." For now, Student Activities plans to reevaluate the facilities at the end of the semester and either increase or further decrease use as needed. But rest assured; the bowling center is not being phased out.
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