AU is a community-friendly school, helping surrounding schools as a good neighbor or good community member would do, according to Keith Gill, director of athletics and recreation. This quality is evident during sporting events when local families come down to support the university teams.
However, it began to affect students and faculty who tried to use the tennis courts this semester, which had been rented out to the Georgetown Day School several days a week.
The Georgetown Day School tennis teams were allowed to use AU's tennis courts for practices and games, leaving AU students and faculty without courts to play on several afternoons a week.
The Georgetown Day School, a private high school located at 4200 Davenport St. and a private middle school located on 4530 MacArthur Blvd., has both high school varsity and middle school tennis teams. GDS does not have tennis courts on its campus. In order for its tennis teams to practice, they must use other local courts.
GDS was allowed to use AU's courts during what AU professor Frank DuBois labeled as "prime playing hours," specifically from 1 p.m. until dusk, when most students have a break in their busy class schedules.
"Most of us have class during the day, so it's hard to get tennis courts when we want them," said a Kogod student who wished to remain anonymous. "This team has every court occupied."
According to the GDS practice schedule found at its Web site, GDS used the courts an average of three times a week beginning in late August. Both varsity and middle school students were bussed to AU starting at 2 p.m., where they would practice on some days until 6 p.m.
"We would have to get off the court whenever they would come," said DuBois, who is a professor of international business and chairman of the Department of International Business.
Students said they were unaware of the relationship GDS had with the university until they got down to the courts at the beginning of the semester and saw them occupied by people who were clearly not from AU.
"I've noticed there are a lot of public tennis instructors that I'm guessing are not AU affiliated," said Robbie Schwartz, a junior in the School of Public Affairs.
There is one tennis court in the middle of the basketball court area that was not occupied by GDS during their practice time. Because it is only one court, no more than four people can play at a time, and it is not suitable for tennis play when people are playing basketball on the court, said the Kogod student who wished to remain anonymous.
A GDS practice schedule is posted neither on AU's Web site nor the AU Athletics Web site. Gill said that if people want to use the courts, they can inquire ahead of time whether the courts are being used or not.
"Anyone can write us to see when the courts are available if they want to plan to play tennis," he said.
The anonymous Kogod student and DuBois each tried to contact Gill for an explanation about why GDS was using the courts. Gill responded to queries from the professor, but not from the student.
DuBois said he felt Gill was sidestepping the issue in his response to his questions about GDS renting the courts.
"I have yet to hear anything but very nebulous comments about helping out the local community," DuBois said in an e-mail.
After being kicked off the tennis courts several times by GDS coaches, DuBois said he and the students he wanted to play tennis with began to feel that their needs were being put second to those of GDS.
"Tuition-paying students' needs seem subordinate to those of people in the outside community," DuBois said.
Gill said students do not necessarily receive priority over the community.
"For the tuition money [you pay], I'm not sure you get [the courts] on demand," he said. "Just because we are a part of a larger community than is just us, that does not mean American University has not serviced you in some way."
Gill also said that the problem "can't be eradicated," but the school can work with the students to solve the issue.
Whether or not GDS pays for use of the tennis courts is not clear. Gill said he "did not know the relationship specifically," but he was "certain that they do probably pay a rental fee."
Jordan Tobin, director of facilities and operations in AU Athletics said in an e-mail that AU Athletics is asked and expected to raise a substantial amount of money each year by renting AU's athletic facilities to offset AU's expenses.
"Georgetown Day School is not receiving any special privileges by our relationship with them," he said in the e-mail.
The Eagle called Georgetown Day School for comment on the school's use of the tennis courts, but multiple calls over a three-week period went unanswered. Kathy Hudson, the athletic director at GDS, did call back after deadline and left a message, but The Eagle was unable to speak to someone when the call was returned.
Gill said GDS "helps [AU] out a lot," giving the basketball team's occasional use of the GDS basketball courts as an example. AU would help the school "as a good neighbor, whether we use their facilities or not," he said.
DuBois said he would like the university to make it clearer when GDS is and is not using the tennis courts.
"They should have a schedule posted on the courts, or on the AU Web site," DuBois said.
The Athletics Department is willing to work with students and faculty alike on the situation and encourages students and faculty who do want to play tennis to call and schedule a time, Gill said.
"It's hard to post schedules on the Web site and do all of these things because it really is a small pocket of people [that are being affected by GDS using the courts]," he said.
