Many students stressed about deadlines, exams, papers and jobs seek refuge through a workout at the Helfaer Recreational Center – only to find that the Center is overcrowded and machines are scarce.
In an attempt to better accommodate student needs, two of the center's racquetball courts have been filled with four or five elliptical machines and four treadmills each, according to Debbie Swanson, cq-tjh associate director of the Rec Center.,”
Many students stressed about deadlines, exams, papers and jobs seek refuge through a workout at the Helfaer Recreational Center — only to find that the Center is overcrowded and machines are scarce.
In an attempt to better accommodate student needs, two of the center's racquetball courts have been filled with four or five elliptical machines and four treadmills each, according to Debbie Swanson, associate director of the Rec Center.
The newly transformed aerobic rooms were opened about three weeks ago, she said.
"The minute we opened them up, people were using them," she said.
According to Swanson, the aerobic machines were added because of the congestion in the main aerobic and weight room.
"We couldn't accommodate everybody," she said.
Sarah Johnson, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she was surprised how small the Rec Center's weight and aerobic room is when she came to the center for the first time.
"I had to wait about an hour to get a machine," Johnson said. "The ellipticals are always taken, which is what every girl wants."
Because of the overwhelming number of students crowding into the aerobic and weight room, students or members who wish to use an elliptical or treadmill must sign up first. Many students sign up for a machine in the morning and workout later in the day, but this system is inconvenient for students who do not have time to go to the center twice a day.
Nicole Shafer, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she used the center frequently last year, but eventually became frustrated with the sign-up system and long waits for machines.
"I used to go in and sign up in the morning and then come back at night to work out," Shafer said, "but I don't really have time this semester to go there twice a day so that I can secure a machine."
According to Swanson, the main aerobic and weight room has been less crowded since the opening of the new aerobic rooms.
"I can see that there are people who will like the smaller environment," Swanson said about the new rooms.
There are also many people, however, who like the social environment of the main room, she said.
Johnson said following their opening, she began using the new rooms for all of her workouts.
"I like them because you don't have to worry about signing up and its not a race to get a machine like it is upstairs," said Johnson.
According to Swanson, all cardio machines in the main room will still use the sign-up system, but the new aerobic rooms will not. Time slots for all cardio machines have also been changed from 22 minutes to 30 minutes, Swanson said.
The increased length of time slots should also better accommodate student needs because many students like to work out for more than twenty minutes, which used to force them to sign up for two different machines, she said.
According to Swanson, there are no further plans to expand or add machines to the center.
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