The Justice

Media Credit: Sara Brandenburg/the Justice Asher Tanenbaum '08 works out in the weight room in Gosman. He and other students have complained about the facility's equipment. Athletics Director Sheryl Sousa estimated it would cost $100,000 for an improved facility.

CORRECTION APPENDED (SEE BELOW)

The Student Union and the Athletic Department are currently working on a plan to give the weight room a much needed facelift following student complaints that the equipment is too old and inadequate.

"This project is still in its formative stages," Athletics Director Sheryl Sousa said. "We're putting together a proposal to assess what the needs are."

Sousa estimated that improvements would cost $100,000 altogether. She also said that she formed a committee to investigate student needs, as well as the state of the equipment in the weight room.

The committee is considering making a clearer division between an Olympic-style free-weight section of the room and a section with regular equipment, a move that Asher Tanenbaum, senator for the class of 2008 and a member of the committee, said would make the regular section more welcoming to less experienced lifters.

Tanenbaum said the equipment in both the regular and the Olympic style weight room will be new.

"We're hoping to get it done within the next year," Tanenbaum said.

The most concrete proposal in the plan would involve moving the varsity weight room and the regular weight room next to each other, though the weight rooms would remain separate, Tannenbaum said.

"Some of the machines are outdated and not in tip-top shape anymore," Michael Dubé '09, a frequent weight room user, said.

"At times there tend to be a lot of people there," he also said. "It might improve the weight room a lot if there would be more space."

The most significant hurdle to the plan is funding, which is currently not available, Sousa said.

"Right now we're finding out how much it would cost [to renovate the weight room], and what students would like to see in there," Assistant Athletics Director Robin Seidman said.

Another request that has been expressed by students and coaches is the hire of a professional trainer in the weight room.

Sousa explained that this is also budget-driven and is not yet definite.


Due to an editing error, this article originally reported Asher Tanenbaum '08 said he wanted the equipment in the weight rooms to be new. He actually said that they would be new.

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