Since the Lewinstein Athletic Center fully closed for renovations on June 15th, students on campus this summer have been using a temporary athletic facility in the John W. Berry Sports Center. As temperatures continue to rise and New England faces a heat-wave in the coming weekend, though, some are concerned about their ability to safely and comfortably exercise in the satellite gym.
Jaya Miller ’28 said she went to the gym for a workout on July 1st at 8:30 a.m. and it felt “hotter inside than outside, and it was 80 degrees outside.”
“I feel that the gym is a space you should be able to use when it’s too hot to exercise outside — effective AC in the summer is necessary,” she added.
Another student, Claire Maher ’28, jokingly said that she found the gym to be “the hottest place on campus and maybe the whole planet.”
Other students discussed grievances about limited space and the amount of available weight machines in the facility.
“They’ve overemphasized the cardio machines,” Teddy Choyt ’28 said. “There are way too few [benches] for everyone to comfortably fit, ”
Dartmouth Athletics executive associate athletics director for business strategy and operations J.B. Weber wrote in an email statement that the equipment of the Berry center is “limited” by “safety considerations inherent to the use of a facility that was not designed to be a fitness center space.” They stated that the temporary facility in Berry is “not designed” for heavy weightlifting workouts. Instead, the Leverone Fieldhouse is open to students with limited hours on weekdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“We understand though that working out, especially in these extreme heat conditions, may be unpleasant, so we urge everyone to stay safe and hydrated,” Weber said. “There are large fans in both spaces to help with airflow in both Berry and Leverone for which the latter has a built-in system.”
When asked about the hours of the Fieldhouse, Choyt added that the limited time slot “aren’t hours that even remotely work for my schedule, and it completely discourages me from going there at all.”
Student body vice president Margaret de la Fuente ’27 wrote in an email statement that the Dartmouth Student Government — which worked to secure student access to the temporary Berry facility in the spring — has heard concerns about heat and the general conditions of the satellite gym and is working to “gather additional feedback and better understand students’ experiences.”
“Once we have gathered that feedback, we plan to share it with Dartmouth Athletics and Recreation and work collaboratively with them on any issues that need to be addressed,” de la Fuente said. “We encourage students using the satellite gym to continue sharing their experiences with DSG.”
Some individuals, like Atticus Belcher ’28, expressed gratitude for having an alternative option while the Lewinstein Athletic Center is closed.
“They’re trying to improve the old gym, and the fact that they were able to secure the squash courts seems pretty creative and competent of the people who run wellness,” Belcher said. “I will say the heat sucks, but that’s just the nature of summer in Hanover.
