Spring semester started with a splash as students dove into the newly renovated  pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center Saturday night after it had been in a state of disrepair for over three years.

The weekend marked the opening of the pool with a "Making Waves" pool party sponsored by the Student Union, Student Events, WBRS, Athletics and the Department of Student Activities.

The reopening of the pool came after the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $3.5 million plan to renovate the pool last spring. The pool had been closed since fall 2008 due to infrastructure problems such as the broken heating systems, which the University decided not to immediately repair primarily because of financial constraints, according to Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins.

The renovations included repairs to the mechanical and electrical systems, repairs to the pool and the pool deck, new lighting in the facility, new team locker rooms, a new lobby and a refurbished entryway.

Saturday night began with an opening presentation from Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa '90, Assistant Director of Athletics Jim Zotz, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel and swimmers Julia Derk '12 and Elise Allan '12.

Flagel said the pool is a symbol for the Brandeis community. "What you see in this pool is faith, is hope, is the idea that no matter how challenging things are, our students are committed, our administration listens, that we can do anything," he said.

And to pursue "Brandeis swagger," Flagel created a cheer for the pool relay race that followed. "I am going to say ‘Bran,' and you all say ‘Deis,'" exclaimed Flagel, to rounds of applause and cheering from the stands.

Zotz then officiated a relay race between four teams made up of four students each. The teams selected different charities to race for, and the winning team's charity won any donations made during the event.

Allan, Antonio Cancio '13, Jason Dick '14 and Herbie Rosen '12, who were racing for Ronald McDonald House, narrowly defeated the second-place team.

The pool then opened up to swimming for the entire community and pizza was distributed in the Gosman Gym, along with a photo booth and a mechanical shark set-up.

This year's seniors, who swam on the University team for two years, prior to the cancellation of the team, said they were excited to once again dive into the water.

"It has been years. This is like, kind of what I dreamed of," said David Fei '12.

Marc Eder '12 agreed. "It feels good. I am glad the pool is back. I wish it were here 2 years ago, but I am glad it is here now."

Eder added that he hopes students who are not on the swim team maintain interest in the pool. "When the pool broke, there were like two people in here a day who weren't on the swim team," he said.

Zotz, who coached the swim team before it was disbanded, said the University couldn't "afford to have a facility that was closed" because it sent a "strange" message to prospective students.

"It's just fantastic," he said. "I'm excited for the general student body. It's not just the swim team. … We just needed it," he added.

The new coach of the team will be Mike Kotch.

Students who had previously never been to the pool facility also enjoyed the party.

"It was just really exciting to see so many people here and to see the pool being used. Really especially to see the seniors … to see them have the pool back and how much that meant to them," said Kelsey Grab '12.

"It's exciting because I haven't seen it before," said Justin Lesser '14. "As far as pools go, its pretty nice," he later added.

For at least one student, however, the pool was not the focus of the night. "The best part of this event was Andrew Flagel's outfit," remarked Nicole Litvak '12.