
By Pyc Fitness
©2004-2008
Looking for a way to relieve midterm stress? Visit the Maher Wellness Center for a fun and invigorating workout!
The Wellness Center opened in the fall semester of 2003 and boasts 3,000 square-feet of cardiovascular and free-weight equipment. The Office of Student Life manages the center, which was added as an expansion to the gym.
Although the Wellness Center falls under Student Life jurisdiction, it is primarily operated by UD students. "The daily operations of the center are solely dependent on our student workers," said Grant.
Gym usage has remained consistent for the last few years, according to Grant. "We have about 100 patrons a day, of course varying depending on the day of the week. We typically see more patrons Monday through Thursday and considerably less on the weekend," he said.
As class sizes grow, gym patrons feel the strain of a busy Wellness Center. Freshman Cassandra Trevino frequently uses the facility during "rush hour."
"I usually come to the gym around 5:00 p.m. everyday. Sometimes it's crowded, but on the weekends its usually empty," Trevino said.
Junior Molly McLaughlin, a Wellness Center student worker, has noticed the peak workout time seems to be in the early evening. "It's definitely crowded during my shift from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. most days of the week," she said. McLaughlin suggests going to the center during early afternoon times to avoid the rush.
When asked about the facility, most patrons agreed that they need more space. "The [Wellness] Center is definitely great," said senior Janet Johnson. "If we had a bigger space, that would be great, but we don't."
Freshman Joe Edison agrees. "It's pretty nice. It has all the stuff you need to workout, but it could be bigger," he said.
Regarding an expansion of the facility due to size demands, Grant said the administration is thinking about various options. "We're looking at renovating housing and one option we're thinking about is adding small workout centers in each housing structure," he said. "But we would need a continual increase in class size for this addition to occur."
Two weeks after the beginning of school, 600 undergraduates had signed gym waivers. "We're hoping that number continues to increase as the school year progresses," said Grant. "Healthy students are better able to study."
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