With students fulfilling their New Year's resolutions and preparing for Spring Break trips, Ball State University's fitness rooms are at their busiest this month.
Fitness room attendants take head counts every hour to keep track of how many people use the gyms.
The number of gym users usually peaks at 12:30 p.m. and again between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Jason Adamowicz, assistant director of the Office of Recreation Services, said.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest days of the week, and Saturday and Sunday are usually the slowest.
Irving Gym fitness room has a capacity for 125 people, and every night the room gets close to that number.
"People get frustrated sometimes when we won't let them in, but we need people to be safe," Adamowciz said.
Fitting people and machines into Recreation Services' space is a problem.
"Space is just our number one issue," he said.
DEALING WITH CROWDING
The Student Government Association recently passed legislation suggesting an expanded recreation center.
SGA Secretary Kari Jones said SGA would discuss the expansion at Cardinal Leadership Roundtable next week. It is also preparing materials to present information to student organizations.
The expansion is still in the planning stages, but Jones said the proposed addition would expand Irving Gym out in several directions, as well as up.
Until this vision of a bigger rec center becomes a reality, students have various ways of dealing with crowded fitness rooms.
Senior Chad Riethmiller said Irving fitness room is typically too busy from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"I go to Ball Gym sometimes," he said. "It's not as crowded."
Adamowicz said the busiest pieces of equipment in the fitness rooms are the elliptical machines.
"Those will be reserved quicker than any other cardio machine we have," he said. "They will be used more than any other cardio machine we have. But all the cardio, in general, is used quite a bit."
Sophomore Jenn Comer said she usually has trouble getting onto an elliptical machine when she wants. If all the ellipticals are full, she normally uses the bicycles or works on weight machines until an elliptical is available.
Comer suggested designating a room for only elliptical machines.
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