Elmen forum unveils new look

For months the Elmen Center forum sat quiet behind closed doors. Now, after its first major makeover since 1989, students and varsity athletes are back to shooting hoops and spiking volleyballs on a pristine new court beneath bright new LED lights.

The project marks the completion of a two-phase revitalization funded primarily by a $2 million donation from the Elmen family last fall. Phase one focused on upgrading the lighting, sound system, flooring and seating.

According to Logan Haak, director of recreational services, Augustana men’s and women’s basketball’s return to the Elmen Center in September 2025 played a major role in spurring the renovation.

“For a lot of our donors and people that are buying season tickets, not having chairback seating options was something that was a deterrent for them,” Haak said. “So wanting to give the fans a comfortable experience was a major part of it.”

While the project was slated to wrap up before the start of the Fall semester, high humidity levels over the summer prevented the flooring from curing evenly. The delay pushed final installations through fall break.

The finished courts immediately went into rotation for Augustana athletics with volleyball, basketball, and acrobatics and tumbling sharing the floor for practices from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

According to junior basketball player Jacob Brandt, the old court wasn’t very springy which made it difficult to jump. 

“After practices on the court last year your knees would hurt after,” Brandt said. “Now it looks great, everything flowed really well and it was a huge improvement for sure.”

Beyond serving as a practice venue for varsity athletics, the forum functions as the core space for some intramurals.

“Because the forum’s been closed since April, there’s been a lot of frustration from students about not being able to use their spaces,” building supervisor Amber House said. “There’s been a lot of excitement from the student body to be able to shoot hoops indoors again and use the space again.”

The reopening arrives just ahead of the indoor intramural season, which kicks off November 5 with 3-on-3 basketball before badminton and volleyball leagues start over the next two months.

Junior Vedansh Ranot has spent the past week practicing on the new surface to prepare for the tournament.

“The new one feels much smoother and more professional, with better traction and a more consistent bounce,” Ranot said. “It makes moving around, changing direction and playing at a higher intensity feel much better overall.”

As winter sets in, building staff face the task of defending the fresh surface against tracked-in slush and dirt. 

“With the new lights, every scuff mark and spot of dirt stands out more,” Haak said.

To combat these issues the Elmen will be enforcing rules for footwear on the courts. Previously, students were asked to bring a second set of shoes for court use so that mud and snow wouldn’t be carried onto the courts.

“Ideally no one’s wearing soles on their shoes that scuff, and I think we’re going to just be a little bit stricter with that and paying attention to that,” House said.

The upgrade came with a trade-off for racquet sports: boundary lanes for pickleball and badminton were omitted from the new surface.

Haak said staff will wait until Viking Days is over before deciding whether to add these secondary court lines back to the forum.

The exact details and timelines of phase two - which looks to upgrade other elements of the facility - remain undisclosed.