No passing

Crowded gyms turn some away

Due to an overflow of interest this semester, the recreational sports fitness program has had to turn students away from fitness classes and has halted the sale of additional passes.

At $5 each, 1,300 passes have already been sold, said Jill Garrigan, fitness activities coordinator.

"We're not out there trying to make a fortune and compete with the gyms," Garrigan said. "The fitness classes give students something to do right on campus. It's a social and stress outlet."

Students who purchased a pass, like Danielle Royer (senior-management science and information systems), are being turned away from classes because of high attendance. Royer said the program should continue to offer classes to those who have already purchased a pass.

"We always have to turn people away," said Brooke Wilson, a fitness program instructor. Wilson said class sizes range from 50 to 85 people, and will probably remain packed throughout the semester.

Director of Recreational Sports Bill Swan said the University is in the process of making more passes available to students tomorrow. Because of partial University Park Allocations Committee funding (from the student activity fee), the price of a recreational sports fitness class pass was reduced this semester from $30 to $5, Swan said.

"This is new to us and the demand is great," he said.

Fitness program officials will try to keep the price at $5 for next semester, Swan added.

Swan said the program has limited physical space, but once renovations are completed at White Building, classes will be offered at more areas. Additional step aerobics classes and cycling classes have been added to accommodate the increase in demand, he said. New locations and times for classes are also being sought, Swan said.

During the first two weeks of each semester the attendance is always heavy but eventually drops off, Swan said. Also, classwork starts to take priority and student interest begins to decline, Garrigan said.