Just outside her office door in the Fant-Ewing collesium, Dr. Lisa Colvin is met each day with a picturesque view of the Lake C. Oxford Natatorium. After hearing the summer’s proposal to close the Natatorium, the kinesiology professor said, “I cried for days. I felt a part of my soul had been torn apart.”

Colvin said she was overwhelmed by a terrible sense of hopelessness, feeling that there was no way to fight what had seemingly already been decided.

On July 29, Colvin created the Facebook group called “Save the ULM Natatorium,” which at its peak drew in over 1,500 members. Students, graduates and community members have come to this open forum to say their peace.

Colvin’s deep love for the Natatorium spurred her efforts to keep it alive. She said the facility is merely an ugly duckling waiting to change into a beautiful swan.

“It has been a death by neglect,” she said, recalling the days when events were held from dawn to dusk with a ready flow of patrons. “If we fix it up right, with the community’s help, we could have it back up.”

Ready to hear all view points, Colvin eagerly read the suggestions posted to Facebook. Renovation ideas were then taken and given to Water Technology Inc., the nation’s largest firm of aquatic design, to help visualize the possibilities. Concept art based on the group’s input is available.

Colvin says that students have the responsibility to think of what would be best for the community. Saving the natatorium for future generations could become the legacy of the students here today, she said. Hopeful that students would see the value of the diamond in the rough, Colvin said, “The natatorium is a legacy worth saving, and you guys can do it!”