Getting in shape just got a little easier.

Well, at least the first step did.

This fall, all Penn State fitness memberships, which grant students usage of on-campus recreation facilities, will be activated through an online process. By logging onto eLion (www.elion.psu.edu) and following the link to the fitness pass Web site (fitnessmembership.psu.edu), students can charge the fee to their bursar's account and obtain access to campus gyms and pools almost immediately. Students have a choice of purchasing a Fall Semester pass for $30 or a full-year pass for $55.

"We had been wanting to do it for a quite a while, but it was just a matter of coordinating the different departments, like the bursar and athletics," said Jill Garrigan, fitness program coordinator. "The bursar has a lot of private and secure information. We wanted to make sure all that was protected."

The new system will eliminate the need for paper fitness passes by allowing staff members at the facilities to simply swipe students' ID+ cards in order to determine payment status. Garrigan said this will save paper, as the department usually sold -- and printed -- 11,000 to 15,000 passes a semester. Aside from doing away with paper cards, the new process will also eliminate the long lines that usually accompanied the beginning of each semester at the sites of fitness pass sales.

"We just want to make this easier for students," Garrigan said. "Students stand in enough lines already when they get back. Our objective is to get you in and get you to use the gym, not make you wait in lines."

Another advantage is the simplicity of the new system. Because it works in conjunction with eLion, students no longer have to fill out forms in order to obtain the pass. "On our side, it eases our burden because we don't have all of the cash handling and cash register sales functions with regard to student passes," Dale Roth, director of recreation services, said. "They've gone away."

Michele Zachar (junior-advertising) was able to purchase her fitness membership from home last month, and she said it was a relief to know she'd have immediate access to facilities when she arrived on campus.

"I think it's a great idea," Zachar said. "Since I don't have to worry about waiting in line, it leaves me with no excuses not to get to the gym and work out."