Voter opportunities limited
Although Syracuse University students might not know him, they know his work.
Joseph Lore is responsible for every treadmill in Archbold Gymnasium, every weight in Marshall Square Mall and every club sport on campus.
Recently promoted to director of the Department of Recreation Services, Lore holds a critical yet generally unrecognized position in the Syracuse University community.
Lore has been working for SU for more than 23 years, holding various positions including director of club sports, director of fitness centers, associate director of facilities and his current position as director of recreation services.
Because of this deep and extended involvement in the SU community, Lore considers himself an ‘advocate for the students’ and makes a concerted effort to craft his policies accordingly.
‘Decisions will continue to be based on (the students’) best interest with a focus on supporting students’ personal growth and well-being,’ Lore said in an e-mail interview.
‘There is an open line of communication for students to continue to voice their opinions in an effort for continuous improvement of our programs, services and facilities.’
Lore was instrumental in drafting the plans for the new gym in Marshall Square Mall, now the second most popular gym on campus behind Archbold, according to SUNews.
Lore also had an active role in forming the 53-sport club program that currently has more than 1,500 participants.
In addition to his previous work, Lore currently has several large projects in progress. Specifically, he and his staff recently finished converting underutilized space on campus into a 1,570 square foot, multi-purpose dance studio. With this new space, the amount of student organization and fitness class use from the fall semester has more than tripled, Lore said.
However, the biggest task facing Lore is the production of a fitness center for the new residence hall to be built at 617 Comstock Ave. Lore said the fitness center will have a dance studio and a workout room.
Currently, Lore and his staff are in the process of finalizing the layout for the facility.
Students seem generally pleased with Lore’s work, although they’re not too familiar with him personally.
‘He seems like he’s doing a good job,’ Sam Morgenstern, a freshman magazine and Spanish major said. ‘I use the fitness center at Marshall Square Mall all the time.’
However, the general theme from students toward Lore seems to be anonymity, as many students at Archbold did not recognize the name.
Yet Lore continues to show enthusiasm toward bettering the SU community, and continues to quietly raise the university’s standards of recreation services.
‘The university community has shown a strong commitment to physical well-being and the development of healthy lifestyles,’ he said. ‘As such, we must continue to enhance our programs, services and facilities. I am excited at the opportunity for our staff to further meet the needs of our students, university and surrounding community.’
Published on February 4, 2008 at 12:00 pm
