The North Haven Fitness Center officially opened its doors on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Associate Athletic Director for Fitness and Wellness Tami Reilly said this new facility was installed in response to students, faculty and staff who wanted a place to work out on campus.
In response to the snowstorm on Monday, Reilly said the North Haven Fitness Center still opened but closed at noon. She said since the Mount Carmel and York Hill facilities are within walking distance for students, they will remain open until 6 p.m.
Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., students, faculty and staff on the North Haven campus now have direct access to a new on-campus gym.
Reilly said when the medical and law schools were completely situated on the North Haven campus, classrooms were shifted around and there was an open room. She said the room had previously been a bookstore, but facilities was able to clear the space and find some money to transform the area into a small fitness center.
In order to gain access to the facility, Reilly said students and faculty must fill out the “Fitness Center Liability & Waiver Form” on their WebAdvisor accounts. But she said if they have already done this and have access to the other fitness centers, they automatically have access to the North Haven facility.
Junior nursing major Marissa Faretta said this new gym on North Haven will help her balance her classwork and her health and fitness.
“Having a gym at North Haven is really important to me because going to the gym is the way I de-stress,” she said. “By the time I get home from six hours of classes, I’m tired and it’s really hard to go to the gym. But having one on North Haven will force me to stay on campus throughout the day and get a workout in before or after classes.”
Though Reilly said the North Haven Fitness Center is not exclusively for North Haven students and faculty, she does not expect students from the Mount Carmel or York Hill campuses to utilize the new gym.
“Since it is small and has very limited equipment, other students would most likely not make the trip over there to work out,” she said.
The budget for the North Haven Fitness Center was funded by the law school construction budget, according to Elizabeth Bender, the Assistant Director of Capital Planning. Reilly said this budget was the reason for the limited equipment available in the new facility.
Reilly said the university was able to get two ellipticals, an upright bike, a recumbent bike and a rower. Other than machines, she said they were also able to get free weights of up to 65 pounds, as well as stability and medicine balls.
Due to the limited equipment, Reilly said there is a sign-up schedule for those who wish to use the cardio machines and those interested can sign up for a half-hour time slot.
Despite the small size of the facility and few machines, junior nursing major Kim Radwanski said she intends to use the gym because of its convenience.
“Now I can work out during the gaps in my schedule without going all the way to main [campus] or York,” she said.
Radwanski’s initiative is exactly the kind Reilly expects to see erupt throughout the North Haven campus as a result of the new fitness center opening.
“As a health science focused campus, [the students at faculty] are naturally health conscious and pay attention to their well-being,” she said. “Athletics and Recreation is happy to provide an opportunity for them to be physical and de-stress, even if it is limited.”
Other than the new facility, Reilly said there are several fitness classes that have been offered on the North Haven campus for the past three years.
Based on room availability, she said there have been yoga, Pilates, Zumba and body weight classes. These classes will still be offered, in addition to the opening of the North Haven Fitness Center.
