The day after I moved into my dorm at American University, I wanted to get active and meet new people, so I went to the gym.When I arrived at American University Jacobs Fitness Center, I was surprised at the size of the gym.have 16 Division I Sports Teams, I was hoping that the university would have good fitness facilities. My workout took longer than usual because I was waiting for a specific machine to become available, but I thought this was an isolated incident due to overcrowding, so I was happy with the experience .
As I continued to go to the gym, I noticed that it was crowded most of the day. Besides Jacobs, Kassel Fitness Center is another gym available to students at the university. Both gyms are of great quality, but their size cannot accommodate the university’s student body.
The Kassel Fitness Center is about the same size as my high school gym, while the Jacobs Fitness Center is not nearly as big. My high school had 2,000 students and the only people who used the gym were the athletes.Jacobs and Cassel are open to university input Number of undergraduate students: 7,644 It also includes 4,401 graduate students and 1,468 law students.
If the gym is crowded, students may avoid the gym because they don’t feel comfortable exercising or have to wait long for machines. Especially recently, it has been found that university students tend to: more likely to develop mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.Exercise is a proven method improve mental health issues And mental health in general. American University students are missing out on the mental, social, and physical benefits of exercise when their university gyms are not meeting student demand.
Currently, American University Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance. So far, not many details have been revealed about the facility itself, but it appears that the Meltzer Center will be primarily for athletes, with some parts also accommodating recreational use for non-athlete students. .
The situation in college athletics isn’t too bad, but there are definitely things that could be improved. Some of these will depend on how the university uses the Meltzer Center, while others are important to implement regardless. The first of these solutions involves an area of Jacobs that is used only by collegiate DI athletes. Once the Meltzer Center opens, this portion of the Jacobs Fitness Center should be available to all students. This way, Jacobs will not be as crowded and athletes will have a new designated area within the Meltzer Center.
Duba Fitness Center This gym is a lesser known exercise facility as it is only used for personal training during the school year. The university can alleviate overcrowding by opening this gym to students during certain times when Jacobs and Cassel are often crowded. Another possible solution is to allocate a significant portion of the Meltzer Center to student use. With this additional space, Jacobs and Cassel won’t be as overcrowded.
Although the issue of crowded gyms may seem trivial, it is important to consider the impact this has on the student body’s desire to remain active. Students may choose not to train if the gym is uncomfortable or if waiting for machines is inconvenient. By solving the overcrowding of gymnasiums, universities can increase student activities and promote the healthy development of students.
Avyay Sriperumbudur is a freshman in the School of Public Affairs and Arts and Sciences and a columnist for The Eagle.
This article was edited by Alana Parker, Jerinda Montez and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing was provided by Luna Jinks, Isabelle Kravis, and Charlie Mennuti.