Red and purple balloons, free Panera Bread sandwiches and a cake cutting ceremony with the chancellor helped kick off the University Recreation Center’s one-year birthday celebration Tuesday.

Chancellor Victor Boschini opened the festivities with a brief speech and was the first person to take a bite of the red, white and purple cakes.

“The Recreation Center is an integral part of the campus,” Boschini said. “It’s a great physical structure and we’re blessed to have this.

“Students and faculty can come together on a common ground and be equal. Everyone wears shorts,” he said.

The university is celebrating the $30 million facility’s one-year birthday because the center has made a major impact on campus, said Cristie Mitchell, assistant director of campus recreation.

Students and faculty had the chance to win massages, personal training sessions, T-shirts and Rippit class passes.

John Walls, a junior advertising/public relations major, said he has used the recreation center since it opened last spring, but thought the party was a great way to entice students who don’t normally go there.

Michelle Bouchillon, a junior political science major, took a break from weight lifting when she saw the free food and cake. She said the facility promotes healthy workouts in a nonthreatening way.

“The recreation center is big enough where you don’t feel intimidated by other people, but it is small enough to get help when needed,” Bouchillon said.