It is 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon and I am in the mood for a run. Because it's four degrees outside, I opt not to jog around campus and decide to go the Fitness Center in Alumni Gym. Unfortunately, I am not the only student with this idea, so I join the pack of restless runners behind the treadmills, stalking the current cardio crew, waiting for someone to finish.
At about 14,000 square feet, the Fitness Center is more than three times the size of Dartmouth's previous student exercise facility, and it is the largest centralized fitness area in the Ivy League.
After a $12 million renovation, the Fitness Center features 64 cardiovascular machines, free weights and workout areas for the Fitness and Life Improvement Program (FLIP) classes.
For the most part, the Fitness Center is a place where non-varsity athletes can work out and train.
"Sometimes members of the basketball and hockey team come in, but in general, we don't see many varsity athletes because they have their own weight room," Honoria Tsang '07, who works at the front desk, said in an interview. "The Fitness Center is used by mostly students and faculty. There are some community members, lots of Tuck and med school students and very few Thayer students."
Despite these numbers, many students question the Fitness Center's ability to meet the needs of the Dartmouth community.
Emily Marshall '09, like many other Dartmouth students, plans her day so she can be at the Fitness Center at non-peak hours or adjusts her workouts so she is not using a cardio machine during peak hours.
"I usually come in the morning when I want to use the cardio machines. Before dinner everyone is here. I only come in the evening when I'm doing weights," Marshall said.
Other students, like Jeff Wiltsey '09, have completely given up using the cardio machines at the gym because of the overcrowding.
"I don't use the machines when I come to the gym because, especially during the Winter term, they are always crowded. You have to come at really weird times, like 9 a.m., to get a treadmill. I usually just use the weights when I'm at the gym," Wiltsey said.
The Fitness Center has policies in place intended to alleviate the struggles to get on machines, but students feel they have proved ineffective and question the guidelines' fairness.
"You can call in or come in to reserve a machine. You can reserve them for half an hour slots, and if you are not there in the first five minutes of the reservation someone else can claim it," explained Becca Boswell '10, another front desk employee.
Tsang added, "You are supposed to only sign up for half-hour slots but if no one else shows up you can stay on. They are only half-hour slots so that we can try to accommodate everyone."
Allowing individuals to reserve machines has resulted in students who have not reserved machines being kicked off in the middle of their workouts.
"When I am using the machines, once I'm on a machine I sign up for the next slot so that I don't get kicked off," Marshall said.
This policy favors students who are familiar with the gym policies or who are aggressive enough to boot others off machines.
"I've never kicked anyone off a machine. I think that's kind of a douche move," Wiltsey said.
A number of students are also displeased with the current check-in system, describing it as archaic and annoying.
The students at the Fitness Center desk make the reservations and enforce the machine policies, in addition to turning off the alarm at the entrance every few minutes.
"There are times when we have to tell people to get off machines because they are reserved, but people are usually okay with it," Boswell said. "I haven't seen anyone fight over the machines but I have seen people get pissed off."
The students at the front desk have words of wisdom for students seeking exercise who wish to avoid hassles over machines.
"[From] 4 to 7 is always really busy. Six to 8 a.m. and sometimes late at night it is empty," Boswell said. "It's also usually not that busy Tuesdays and Thursdays during 10A's and 2A's."
The Fitness Center is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Students who prefer to exercise on the unpopular machines might also avoid workout worries.
"The ellipticals are definitely the most frequently reserved. The stair machines are pretty unpopular, probably because they are new and they look funky so people don't know how to use them," Boswell said.
