Campus Recreation is telling the story of 100 Years of Recreation at UC Davis, in an exhibition scheduled to open today and to stay up for Picnic Day and the day after (April 18 and 19).

The exhibition in the ARC lobby celebrates two milestones: the UC Davis Centennial and the ARC’s fifth anniversary. The $46.5 million Activities and Recreation Center opened April 19, 2004, next door and connected to the Pavilion (formerly called Recreation Hall), which opened in 1977.

The ARC complex has become one of the busiest venues on campus, with more than 1.1 million admissions each year for fitness activities, and 1.2 million admissions for conferences, commencements, concerts, trade shows and other events, including intercollegiate sports.

“I can’t imagine UC Davis without the ARC,” said Austin Roberts, a fourth-year sociology major from Mendocino. “I use the ARC for workouts, racquetball, basketball and intramural sports. I recently started participating in group exercise classes, and I particularly enjoy yoga and cycling. It’s a great place to de-stress after class.”

The ARC is a fitness center, to be sure, and a whole lot more.

“The ARC has become a true center of social life at UC Davis,” said Coulson Thomas, assistant director of Campus Recreation, which runs the ARC. “Students, faculty, staff and alumni visit the ARC for fitness, but also consider it one of the best places on campus to enjoy time with friends. With the opening of Starbucks, the ARC has truly become a major social hub of campus life.”

The ARC, in fact, becomes a major part of students’ lives even before they arrive. “The ARC is a campus gem for student recruitment,” said Kristin Burns, marketing and communications manager for Undergraduate Admissions.

Fred Wood, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said the ARC, because of its proximity to the residence halls where most first-years live, is an ideal setting for student interaction — a place where students can bond with their classmates and friends, engage with students of different backgrounds, broaden their social networks and deepen their connections with UC Davis.

“It’s become nearly impossible to imagine student life at UC Davis without the ARC,” Wood said.

Student fees are helping to pay off the ARC’s construction bill. Student support comes from 1999’s student-approved initiative known as FACE, for Facilities and Campus Enhancement.

More information: (530) 752-1730 or campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu.