Aaron Skubby, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus—

For Mac Hammett ‘23, the newly constructed swingset between Silverstein and Good Hall is a cemented legacy that the Hammett family was at Denison.

Hammett knew from the first time that his dad brought him to Denison that it was somewhere he wanted to be. His parents, William and Tamara Hammett, both attended the University, graduating in 1986 and 1987.

Hammett was the driving force advocating for the swingset. He first heard murmurs of a swingset the spring of his sophomore year, and loved the idea. “I at one point got down on my knees in front of DCGA tabling and was practically begging for this thing to happen,” he said.

The swingset idea didn’t pick up steam until Hammett returned from a semester abroad as a DCGA co-governor. During a Zoom conversation with the Student Life office, Hammett suggested the swingset. Associate Vice President Julie Tucker reached out to Hammett to learn more about the idea.

“I was really thinking about what wellness meant,” Hammett said. “To have a space to relax, to have a space where you can collaborate with your friends, to just hang out and be. And you can’t do homework on a swing because you’re busy swinging.”

Tucker tasked Hammett to research other campuses that have swingsets and see how projects were handled. He then met with facilities staff to discuss potential locations. He took these findings back to DCGA to discuss funding.

The project ended up being paid for from DCGA’s reserve fund. The reserve fund is a fund that has accumulated from leftover money not used by student organization budgets. It is a potential resource for capital projects that enhance the student experience in some way.

The swingset ended up costing around $50,000, a much lower price than Hammett’s initial estimates. While the foundation was built over winter break, the bench swings were finally attached on February 6.

“My favorite thing is to walk by and see 9 or 10 people gathered around, and seeing people actually use it,” Hammett said.

Hammett did face skeptics during the process who questioned whether or not the swing was necessary, but Hammett is confident that the results show that students enjoy it.

“I actually had one student come up to me and say ‘Mac, I did not believe in this project. I thought it was stupid and it was a waste of money. And then I sat on the swing and I saw how important it was,’” he said.

Hammett’s mother passed away when he was two years old. Since then, her memory has inspired Hammett to be a leader on campus. He’s a HESS and Global Health double major, a community advisor, a senior class co-governor in DCGA, and much more.

“She is a motivation for everything that I do. The phrase in my head is to make mom proud. And I think my mom would be very proud of me,” he said.

While the swing may always have its skeptics, Hammett is clear on the meaning of the swing:

“If someone sits on it and smiles for 10 minutes and gets an escape from a difficult day, then it was all worth it.”