The Recreation and Wellness Center continues to keep up with the enrollment growth at Â鶹ԭ´´, the second-largest university in the country. In the fall, the Recreation and Wellness Center plans to begin offering services at a center in Knights Plaza on the north end of campus.

The creation of the facility coincides with the new 10-year contract signed by Matthew McCann, former Student Government Association president, and James Wilkening, director of the RWC. Wilkening says the expansion is part of the RWC’s continuing mission, “We are thrilled to be able to expand opportunities for the students to engage in healthy lifestyles.�

RWC at Knights Plaza will occupy 8,700 square-feet of space at the corner of the West Plaza Drive and Gemini Boulevard and is scheduled to open in fall 2012. It will offer students living in the North Towers near the arena the convenience of nearby recreation and exercise capabilities and serves as an alternative for the entire campus. The facility will feature strength and cardio equipment and a mind and body studio for less intense group exercise like yoga.

Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s Recreation and Wellness Center is funded by SGA. Its continuing mission is to enrich campus life through programs that foster healthy lifestyles. RWC is a department in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.

Skewerz, a new restaurant recently added to the broad spectrum of eateries outside of the Â鶹ԭ´´ Arena, is attempting to thrive and grow through unique food, a wide range of ingredients and fresh ideas.

Established this semester and located between the Domino’s and the Subway at Knights Plaza, Skewerz seeks to bring something different to the table: cuisine inspired by owner Randy Reich’s life in Israel.

“The culmination of Skewerz is simple: When I was in the army in Israel and when I was growing up in Israel, this was my favorite meal,” Reich said. “I’d order two skewers and I’d put it on a fresh-made flatbread of laffa and I would load it up with everything. … It would be massive, it would be like a three-pounder almost. You just sit there and eat it; I didn’t have to eat for the rest of the day.”

At Skewerz, it all starts off with selecting the type and amount of meat you’d like. After choosing between chicken, pork, beef, shrimp and vegetables, customers then decide to have it wrapped, tossed in a salad or plated with sides. The meat, which is cooked on skewers, is then applied to a laffa, a type of flatbread wrap, and topped with ingredients ranging from cheddar cheese, relish, jalapeños, cucumbers and many more.

Reich feels that the end product is a unique blend of flavors.

“The way I describe it is you have this infusion of all the flavors that you can think of that you like at one time jumping into your palate, as opposed to separately eating things that you like, it all just comes together,” Reich said. “Nothing does that. Not even a burrito, so to speak, because I believe the starches take away from the flavor.”

Samuel Ward, a sophomore at Valencia College majoring in public relations/organizational communications visiting Skewerz for the first time, also felt that the food was on a level of its own.

“It’s epic, I’m just about done in less than five minutes,” Ward said as he took the final bites of his wrap. “I’m a big fan of Chipotle. At first I thought it was gonna rival Chipotle, but to me it’s just another class by itself. … I can’t make a comparison between the two, but this is still epic.”

Reich believes that Â鶹ԭ´´’s campus is an ideal location for Skewerz to grow and succeed.

“The energy on a campus is really the biggest thing,” Reich said. “You go anywhere in the world, especially in the Middle East and Israel in a market, and it’s very casual and informal. You’re not there to be dressed in a suit, sit down, and wine and dine; you’re there to have a good solid meal without breaking your pocket. … And that’s exactly what this is. There’s no better place to try that and see the reaction than the energy on a campus.”

Soukaina Aroui, a Â鶹ԭ´´ junior majoring in civil engineering, also felt that Skewerz had something special to offer.

“I like it; it’s different. Â鶹ԭ´´ doesn’t have these kinds of restaurants, so this is unique,” Aroui said. “They do a really good job, that’s why I’m here today.”

Jennifer Coliton, an employee at Skewerz and a Â鶹ԭ´´ freshman majoring in elementary education, felt that the quality of the ingredients also helps the food to stand out.

“Everything we make is fresh; we don’t own a freezer in the place,” Coliton said. “None of the meats are frozen and stored. Everything you have is completely fresh. We make the dough right in front of your face, and we cook the meat right in front of your face.”

Skewerz has also recently begun serving breakfast, where customers can order scrambled egg wraps and pancakes.

Reich said that the establishment also plans on enhancing the menu even further in the near future.

“We’re gonna get into a dessert line once we hit the summer,” Reich said. “We wanna do s’mores, which we’ll do marshmallows on a skewer and offer it on the side with chocolate sauce, you know what I mean? So people can put it on there with a graham cracker laffa.”

Taking a look at the restaurant’s revenue, Reich feels like the hard work has paid off so far.

“I’m at 70 percent of my targeted number to reach as far as the sustaining amount that I’m comfortable with the possibility of a slight profit margin in there,” Reich said. “From opening, I was at roughly 50 percent. So I’ve grown 20 percent, and I’ve only been open now going on seven weeks, which is kinda huge.”

Skewerz has also recently added a card reader that accepts Knight Cash, which Reich thinks will help their business even further.

Though a profit is important to the restaurant’s success, Reich stressed that making good food comes first.

“I just want everyone to say that they loved it,” Reich said. “If I closed tomorrow because I couldn’t financially make it, I’ll always have the fact that it was the most favorite food on campus and that everybody loved. What else can a chef and an owner ask for?”

Reich said that Skewerz is currently seeking stability at Â鶹ԭ´´ and that more success could mean branching out to several more locations nearby in the future.

On your big day, residents on the Orlando main campus will receive a happy birthday email message. The birthday message includes a coupon to redeem for a free individual pizza.

Visit the on-campus Domino’s Pizza on your birthday to pick up the pizza. Domino’s is located in Knights Plaza and is open 24 hours a day.

Did you know that more than 70 percent of students living on campus are first-year students and will celebrate their birthday away from home for the first time? The staff in Housing and Residence Life wanted to find a way to recognize this special day.

Dr. Jeff Novak, Director of Housing Operations and Residence Life, hopes this program will support a continual living and learning environment for our students to feel right at home.

The Â鶹ԭ´´ Department of Housing and Residence Life thanks Domino’s Pizza for its energy and enthusiasm and partnership with this new program.

The parking garage is expected to be completed in time for the Orlando campus’ spring semester, starting January 2011. Located on Gemini Boulevard near Knights Plaza, which is home to the university’s sports complex and arena, the structure will support parking for athletic events and entertainment venues, as well as parking for students traveling to and from class.

Jacksonville-based Haskell is providing the design/build services for the 402,000-square-foot pre-cast parking structure, which was designed to match the architectural style and brick facade of the surrounding campus buildings. Existing stormwater retention is being incorporated under the facility.

“The need for additional parking structures at the Â鶹ԭ´´ resulted from the loss of parking lots on the inner core of our campus and the increase in student population,” said Kris Singh, director of Â鶹ԭ´´’s Parking and Transportation Services. “The idea behind this particular parking structure was to put it on the perimeter of campus to promote walking to popular areas.”

Offering 225 degree programs, Â鶹ԭ´´ now has more than 53,000 students on its 1,415-acre main campus.

Haskell, which has office in the U.S. and Mexico, is a design/build firm practicing in the general building and civil infrastructure markets with annual revenue of more than $718 million.

Source : Orlando Business Journal