Recently, at the University of Dallas, Student Government has worked to extend the gym hours in the Maher Athletic Center. From Monday to Friday, hours were extended from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. in a trial period which started Oct. 14 and ended Oct. 25.
Fernando Vian, senior politics major and secretary of SG, “[Extending the gym hours] was a response to many requests that popped up, at least from what we noticed, mostly last year. The decision to extend the gym hours was sort of an extension of that – trying to bring that into fruition.”
Miriam Skinner, senior politics major and athletic senator for SG, said, “We got a lot of student concerns last year, and it was a big thing. The student body wanted to have extended gym hours. So this year, as soon as we got back, we wanted to pick it back up and make sure it’s a priority.”
The student crusade for extended gym hours was led in part by Timothy Roberts, politics major in the class of 2024 and previous news editor for The Cor Chronicle. Roberts is also the pastor of the Church of Iron in the Maher Athletic Center.
“I’m very excited by SG’s bold follow-through on their resolution to support extending the Church of Iron’s hours. As all its followers should, SG is paying its tithe, and I respect that,” said Roberts.
The decision was voted on by the executive council of SG. In order for SG to extend gym hours, money needed to be allocated to pay the student workers during this time extension, so the money allocated by SG is going towards paying student workers.
“The student workers get an hourly wage for working at the gym, and the university pays them for their work. And since we wanted to extend the hours, they would have had to take that out of their budget. So we decided to take it out of ours,” said Vian.
The time period of two weeks was a test to see how much engagement is generated at the gym during the 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. slot.
“If people are actually using the gym, and if this is something that the student body would benefit from, then we’ll continue to sponsor the hours being extended,” said Vian. “We might still sponsor it for maybe another week or two weeks, but it’s temporary, just to ascertain tangibly what the use – or what the need – of it is for the student body.”
Student workers are tallying how many students were using the gym during the 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. slot to help determine if the extension deserves to be permanent.
“They’ve been keeping track, and it’s been a little bit inconsistent,” said Skinner. “Some days there will be a lot [of students]. Some days there won’t be a ton. But I think that also might be part of people figuring out new routines.”
If it seems enough students were using the gym during the extended hours, there is contemplation of making the extended gym hours permanent after Charity Week.
“We could finance it for the rest of the semester and next semester,” said Skinner. “Money spent somewhere means that we’re gonna have to say no to someone else. But last year sounded like that’s really what students wanted, and since we’re just representatives of the students, it’s better to spend our money on something, even though it might be a lot more money.”
Importantly, SG is responding to student requests, and also helping to cultivate a lifestyle that is healthy both academically and physically.
“UD’s really intense academically. And I feel like we have a lot of emphasis on the academic side of being a person, but I think it’s super important to have balance,” said Skinner. “Even in our academics, we learn that you have to have a balance. So I feel like having extended hours is really helpful for people…if they’re up late studying, they can go workout afterward. It provides an environment where people can work out as they need with what fits with their schedules.”
“We’re all very busy students, and people might not think they have time during the day to go to the gym,” said Vian. “So making it available later at night, especially at a time when you might be wrapping your studying up and you want to blow off some steam – it’s great for the mind, great for the body, great for the soul. And that’s what we’re here to do – to help cultivate the souls of the students. And if this is something that will help them, then we’ll do what we can to maintain it.”
SG has started assessing the data and will make a decision on the possible permanence of extended gym hours in the coming weeks. SG is hopeful that if the extension becomes permanent, students will use the gym during these hours.
“This is what everyone asked for,” said Skinner. “And so if this is something they really want, we’re willing to put all this money into it, and I think it’s a really good cause, but it would be nice to see that since we [might be] putting money into this, that it actually is used well, and that people are actually going to the gym and actually taking advantage of this – because the whole system is to give people what they want.”