When I came back to campus for my final year at Furman, I was shocked to learn that the university had decided to get rid of the pool without asking students for input. This choice has ignored student voices; which could hurt both student well-being and the school’s reputation.
As the news spread, I started getting emails from first-years asking what this meant for the swim club and recreational swimmers. Most of them were frustrated and confused, especially since no one had told them ahead of time.
A number of first-years told me that the pool played a large role in their decision to come here. At one of our club meetings in August, freshman Lucas Ferlauto said, “Having a pool at Furman heavily influenced my decision to attend this school because it is the only private institution in the state with one.”
The lack of transparency has left students feeling misled. Another freshman, Gracie Ryan, said, “One of the deal breakers I had while choosing which university to attend was that I had to have access to a pool on campus. When I found out during my very first week of college that the pool was going to be closing after the first semester, my heart absolutely sank.”
This isn’t just about the swim club. The pool is used by student-athletes for cross-training and recovery, by faculty and staff for exercise and by students who just want a healthy outlet. According to the National Institute of Health, swimming is one of the best forms of exercise because it is good for physical health while also proven to reduce stress and improve mental well-being.
“Swimming is a way for me to stay physically active and in shape while getting to make new connections and friendships as swim teams are such a close and tight-knit community. Having a swimming pool is not only good for active swimmers but also for all students looking for a low-impact way to stay fit and healthy,” Ryan said.
Swimming is one of the few sports that is accessible to people with injuries or physical limitations. A climbing wall, on the other hand, is far less inclusive. It’s high-impact, requires full body strength and isn’t safe for people with mobility issues, chronic pain or disabilities. Marketing it as something for everyone simply doesn’t hold up.
The pool also connects Furman to the larger collegiate community. Even though our swim club doesn’t receive Division I funding, we still compete against Division 1 schools like Clemson, University of South Carolina, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and more. We are Furman’s swim team, just as the Triathlon Club is Furman’s triathlon team. When we travel, we represent this university on a national level. Taking away our pool doesn’t just hurt current students — it weakens Furman’s presence outside of our campus.
The pool isn’t just a student resource — it generates revenue and creates jobs. Through partnerships like the St. Francis Therapy Center, Furman profits from the pool. Replacing it with a climbing wall eliminates that consistent source of income and trades it for a feature that only serves students, requires constant safety checks and won’t bring in outside revenue. From both a business and a community perspective, this is hard to justify.
Taking away the pool is more than just removing a facility. It’s a decision that affects student health, athletic opportunities and Furman’s finances. With the significant financial investment students and families make to attend, it is reasonable to expect the school to preserve and maintain amenities like the pool, which play a direct role in student life, health and recruitment.
Students deserve to have a voice in decisions that impact our experience here, especially when those decisions also shape how Furman is seen by future students and the broader community. Senior Gray Bradach says, “This is not a ploy against rock climbing — I actually love to rock climb — but a chance for Furman to listen to their students. The amalgamation of disappointed students and student-athletes wanting their voices to be heard is something to be considered. The pool is representative of the holistic experience here at Furman, and if that is taken away, what will it mean for the future of this community?”
If Furman truly wants to live up to the title of the “Ivy League of the South,” then it should invest in resources that support wellness, inclusivity and long-term growth. This pool is a luxury and vital part of what makes Furman stand out. It deserves to be preserved, but more importantly, student voices deserve to be heard.
