Athletes, students at odds over use of Malley Fitness Center

By Nate Swinton

Junior Stephanie Neustadter was doing sit-ups with a friend in the Pat Malley Fitness Center Tuesday when she noticed a group of varsity athletes walking toward her.

Assuming that the athletes needed to use the mat area for their workout, Neustadter and her friend cut short their routine and moved to another part of the weight room.

"We were sort of off to the side, but we felt like, 'uh, maybe we should move,'" Neustadter, who works out in Malley six times a week, said. "We felt like we had an obligation to leave."

Neustadter's experience reflects a growing concern on the part of many students who frequent the Malley center. With the athletic teams' weight room in Leavey closed for construction until sometime this spring, many varsity teams regularly use Malley facilities as a team, often during peak hours.

And many non-varsity students don't like it.

"The varsity athletes are always not taking [working out] seriously, joking around, being really rude and inconsiderate," said one junior, who asked to remain anonymous. "They take up so much space because they all do the same thing at one time."

According to one senior male, who uses Malley four times a week, "I don't have a problem with athletes being there, but when it's a whole team, it tends to get really crowded and they take up a lot of machines."

Director of Campus Recreation Dave Gillmore said varsity athletes have a right to use Malley as a team when they like.

"They're students like anyone else on campus, so they can come in and use the facilities just the same as anyone else," he said.

Gillmore said that because athletes do activities together and are often dressed alike, they are quick to be targeted.

"Maybe we get some complaints just because they're an easily identifiable group, not because they're necessarily doing anything wrong," he said. "People like to differentiate them and believe they shouldn't be able to use the facilities, and that's unfair of them."

Gillmore also added that the situation has greatly improved from that of four years ago, when both athletes and non-athlete students were sharing the outdated, 1,200 sq. foot weight room in the old Leavey Center.

Some students have suggested athletes dividing up the teams into smaller groups or scheduling them to use Malley during off-peak hours.

According to Gillmore, this is too difficult to do due to the varying class schedules of the team members.

Other students suggested having the teams condition outdoors or on other parts of campus, especially for activities that do not require weights.

But according to Steve Schulz, who coordinates the training programs for the men's and women's soccer and basketball teams, that is not a viable option.

"There's only so much you can do out on the field," he said. "Doing exercises that enhance strength and power basically can only be done with weight equipment."

Not all students object to the presence of varsity teams in Malley and are willing to adjust their schedules to accommodate them.

Senior Nathan Kugland said he alters his workout to avoid coming into contact with the teams.

"It doesn't bother me, it's just something I have to work around," he said. "The only times it's really, really a problem is when there is more than one team in here at a time."

Junior Sam Potts tries to use Malley at times when the athletic teams aren't there. But he sees no problem with them using the facilities.

"They're students, too, and Malley's for all students," he said.

For now, both students and athletes will have to wait until the new Leavey weight room is completed for the issue to be resolved.

Schulz said he looks forward to the new facility, since he will no longer have to compete with the distractions Malley presents, such as televisions, radio and friends of the athletes.

"I think [the new weight room] will be a relief on both ends," Gillmore said.