DeKALB | Though some students have complained about long waits and the condition of equipment at the Huskies Den, repairs are actually made on a regular basis.

Brian Collins, a senior liberal arts and sciences major, frequents the Huskies Den for Dollar Days and said that he often experiences exceptionally long waits and attributes them to numerous lanes being “down.” The last time he was at the Huskie Den was two weeks ago for Dollar Days. He attends every couple of weeks and his waits are typically between 45 minutes and 2 1/2 hours, he said.

“I had to wait 2 1/2 hours and it didn’t look like anything was being done with [the lanes],” Collins said.

The bowling alley includes 16 lanes, though two are currently inoperable because they are waiting for replacement lane cameras. Each lane comes equipped with a camera that automatically scores each bowler’s frame; without these cameras, the lanes will not turn on.

Collins suggested the Huskie Den should have “service days” when the Den is closed and all repairs and maintenance are taken care of.

But because the Den serves so many purposes, this may not be possible.

In addition to being open for student recreation, the Den is an operational classroom as well. There are two levels of bowling classes offered each semester. When it comes to maintenance, the most important thing is making sure that the classes have enough lanes to operate. In addition, preventative maintenance and repair maintenance is completed on a daily basis, said Chris Riddle, manager of the Huskie Den.

The bowling lanes see heavy use, partly because the Den has specials throughout the week. On Mondays, the busiest day, about 300 students bowl at the Huskie Den for Dollar Days.

The bowling lanes are the original lanes that were installed in 1967.

“It would be our desire to put in new equipment, but it’s not feasible,” Riddle said, citing budgetary constraints as the reason.

Instead, the Den employs a full-time lane technician to ensure the lanes remain in operable condition and that repairs are made in a timely manner.

In addition, damaged pins, bowling balls and bowling shoes are replaced each year with new equipment to ensure customer satisfaction.

All the pins were replaced and 50 new bowling balls were ordered at the start of the semester. Damaged bowling shoes are replaced each semester, Riddle said.

Stephanie Kohl is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.