Dear Editor:

The new layout of the recreational center does not accommodate to the 13,000 plus students attending Eastern Washington University. All students pay for the rec center within the tuition each quarter, yet I have experience over and over that the rec is too small and isn’t fitting to have fair workouts for all students. The problem is many students not attempting to go to the gym or people having to stand around in the gym. The amount of equipment is inadequate for the current amount of students.

The main cause is the rec center being too small for the amount of students that would like to use the facilities. The hockey rink is nice, but the money that hockey brings in and other events in the ice space, in my opinion, do not outweigh the lack of room in the actual workout area. When the rec was constructed, the designers didn’t leave enough space for the workout equipment. Lastly, there are over 2,000 Fast Fitness students who need 40 visits per class so almost 80,000 gym visits for just Fast Fitness students.

The best way to resolve this issue would be a redesign of the interior. Working out should be apart of all college students, but the size of the rec discourages some students from using it. Each year, EWU student population is rising, and being accommodating to the rising students could include an interior redesign.

Now, I understand that it is easier said than done. The main negative is the cost to do the redesign and a temporary gym while it would be worked on. The positive would be more students working out, better health and a better social spot for people to hangout and be able to live a more healthy lifestyle.

Sincerely,

Yasser Khan