The Marino Recreation Center will close for renovations starting May 8 until the end of Summer 1, with a plan to fully reopen at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester, according to an email sent to students Wednesday. 

Jim Madigan, director of athletics and recreation at Northeastern, announced in an email Tuesday evening all Northeastern students will be given access to the Huntington Avenue YMCA through June 28 due to the closure. It is currently unclear what alternatives the university will offer to students during the Summer 2 term.

Amenities for student use at the YMCA include a pool, gymnasium, group exercise, locker and steam rooms. The email provided a link to a form where students can request access to the YMCA’s offerings.

The renovations include a new basketball court, upgrades to free-weight equipment in the weight room and a new all-gender locker room.

While Marino is closed, the university is offering extended hours and expanded functional training space at SquashBusters Center, as well as opportunities for athletic programming at Cabot Center and the Huntington Avenue YMCA. 

Recently, there have been numerous complaints from the student body about the overcrowding at Marino, and both Student Government Association presidential campaigns from this past election ran on a platform of improving congestion at Marino. 

The Marino shutdown will force students to turn to SquashBusters, which is much smaller. Many students expressed their unhappiness towards the announcement on the Northeastern Reddit page. “How does Northeastern plan on providing enough space for students this summer?? Squashbusters and the “Functional Training Space” won’t be nearly big enough for the amount of students,” user u/NimbleMoBimble wrote on r/NEU. “This is going to be a nightmare.”

Many other Northeastern Reddit users joined the conversation. “My main issue with Marino has always been that it simply isn’t big enough,” u/neuneedhousing wrote. “So replacing stuff with shiny new things just seems like a waste of time and resources.” 

Within hours of the university’s announcement, over 200 students signed a petition demanding the university provide students with a facility to replace Marino while it is under construction, such as unlimited access to Cabot or free membership to the YMCA or an alternative gym. 

It was not immediately clear if Marino will be open during Summer 2. According to the email, more information regarding the renovations is set to come out once all details are finalized. 

The email referred students to the Northeastern University Recreation website for schedule updates.