The 92-degree heat Wednesday broke the sweat of attendants as they waited for the University to break ground at the future site of SIUC’s healthplex.

The Wednesday morning groundbreaking ceremony was a gathering to recognize what in a little more than one year will be the largest area dedicated to physical and psychological health. Student Health Programs’ Healthplex, scheduled for completion in fall 2005, will also assist students with lifestyle-related decisions.

Those directly involved with the project grabbed golden shovels to officially break ground on the area.

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But before they completed the physical groundbreaking, they verbally spoke on why the breaking of this ground was so important.

“This is more than just bricks and mortars, this is more than just the largest healthplex in the nation,” said Director of Student Health Programs Cheryl Presley. “This is a testament to the belief that in education, it’s important to take into account the whole student.”

While the site of the soon-to-be facility was the focus of the event, Larry Dietz, vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, who officiated the ground breaking, recognized that the ever-present heat could not be ignored, either.

“In the interest of time and recognizing the heat, this is going to be a relatively short ceremony,” Dietz told the crowd of more than 100 faculty members and students who gathered on the side of the recreation center for the ceremony.

Dietz thanked a number of guests including Board of Trustees chair Glenn Poshard, Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole and Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, but mostly spent time recognizing involved faculty, students and Zeller Construction, the group in charge of the construction.

“They’re [Zeller Construction] on a short time schedule, so they couldn’t wait for us to get our stuff together and we’re glad they didn’t,” Dietz said. “What’s usually an 18-month project will be complete in a little over 12 months in the fall of 2005.”

Dietz emphasized that the new facility would not be an addition to the Recreation Center. It would instead be a separate building that brings six different facilities to the same area on campus. The complex will call for the relocation of a number of facilities, now operating on opposite ends of campus. For the past 40 years, these areas like the Wellness Center have been operating out of buildings intended as residence halls.

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The aspects of physical, behavioral and emotional health housed in the healthplex would assist not only in bringing areas such as the pharmacy, physical therapy and medical clinic to one general vicinity. It would also give SIUC the largest student healthplex in the nation.

The project was funded entirely through student support through an increase in student fees. Despite the increase in fees needed to fund the construction, Presley said students, particularly student groups such as the Undergraduate Student Government, were completely supportive of the project. Although she noted that all of the students who backed the healthplex might not have the chance to use the facility, she cited the importance of simply being involved with such a project.

“There are so few times in one’s life where they encounter the opportunity to participate in something greater than oneself,” Presley said. “This project will leave footprints in the future, and I am grateful and humbled to be a part of it.”