With the official reopening of the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center this past Saturday, we join the rest of the University community in celebrating the close of a rather dry chapter in Brandeis history.

After three years as one of the only top-tier American universities lacking a pool, this editorial board commends the University administration for finally implementing the necessary repairs in order to make the pool once again usable, and we hope that similar projects will be undertaken as needed for other parts of University infrastructure as well.

The restoration of the pool now presents all students with an opportunity that had unfortunately been lacking here over the last three years: swimming. We are certainly pleased to see that the Swimming and Diving team will have its varsity status reinstated from its current club status.

Furthermore, we encourage all students to take advantage of renewed free swim hours, including certain slots which have been designated single-sex in order to make more students comfortable with pool use.

Saturday night's event, "Making Waves: The Brandeis Pool Party," which was co-hosted by the Student Union, Student Events, WBRS, the Department of Athletics and the Department of Student Activities, was quite a success.

We thank those groups for their involvement, along with Public Safety, which arranged for shuttles that would allow students a warmer means of getting to the party amid the frigid temperatures.

Furthermore, we appreciate the student participation in the charity race took place at the start of the party. The reopening of the pool marks one very positive development for the University, but the factors that led to its initial closing were not unique to the pool.

It remains a fact that University facilities require upkeep in order to avoid shutdowns like this one.

We are pleased that the University allocated funds to restore and reopen the pool, yet we hope that other facets of the University that are in great need of increased upkeep, such as Usen Castle, also soon receive their much-needed repairs lest they too provisionally fall out of use.