Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Christopher Parks by Christopher Parks Students who have been putting off exercise for fear of missing precious election-related sound bites no longer have an excuse. Teressa Hugoboom is pictured using one of the aerobics room's new acquisitions - a treadmill mounted television.

Not only are students burning calories when they run on the treadmills at the Campus Rec Center, many are also charging their iPods and watching televison.

Those are just two types of new features on the 73 new pieces of exercise equipment recently acquired by the Campus Recreation Intramural Center this semester. The cardio machines were delivered in "chunks" during the month of August because the order was so large.

Steve Whistler, assistant director of Campus Recreation Services, said the $250,000 equipment has been a hit with students so far.

"We get roughly 1,000 students per day," he said "In a year, we observe 45,000 people in the cardio area. Not 45,000 different people. Among all of the areas, that's one of the most used areas, which is another reason why we keep equipment current. Right now, that's what they want."

Getting the equipment is much like trading in a car, and when you trade them in, you get a certain value towards the purchase, he said.

The cardio equipment, consisting of ellipticals, treadmills, exercise bikes and adaptive motion trainers, is obtained through a University bid process anytime there is a large amount of items needed. Whistler and his crew send in an order with specifications as to what they want. Then the vendors send in prices. Whoever has the lowest price with all the equipment they need is the one they purchase it all from.

"After three years, we start having some issues with the equipment," he said. "Cardio equipment takes quite a pounding. We start seeing more and more issues around then, so that is why have established that as a pattern."

For now, they plan on replacing the equipment every three years, unless the Rec Center gets a budget cut.

"That order was all started at the end of last year," Whistler said. "This budget year is very different from last year. Obviously, we are glad that we are able to make the purchase. That's our plan if our budget holds. There is a lot of discussion with budgets on campus. We are going to try and accumulate the funds for next time. We have to plan that way to be able to do it."

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