The Justice

Media Credit: Julian Agin-Liebes A student uses one of the new Cybex machines in the refurbished weight room in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The weight room, which opened Jan. 5, was funded by rollover Student Activities Fee money.

The new weight room in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, which features 14 new free weights and 17 new machines, officially opened Jan. 5 after students voted last year in a specific one-time vote to use the Student Union's $100,000 in rollover funds from the Student Activities Fee to remodel the weight room and refurbish it with new equipment.

Students voted to remodel the weight room, because much of its equipment was outdated and the room itself was in need of remodeling.

"Most of the equipment was as old as the building itself," Assistant Director of Athletics Robin Seidman '99 said. He explained that all the weights and dumbbells are new, but that the University kept some of the bars and attachments on the machines. "There is a pretty stark contrast between the old and new equipment," he said.

There are 17 new select-rise Cybex machines, in which the weights are self-contained and the users select the amount of weight they would like to use. All of this equipment was installed in the initial weight room space; the former club sport room, which was adjacent to the initial weight room, will be for free weights.

"Free weights and dumbbells take up a lot of space, which previously made it very difficult to navigate the weight room. Expanding to the club sports room will make it significantly easier for people to use the weight room without feeling overcrowded," said Seidman, adding that the renovations make the weight room look "significantly different overall."

Seidman also said that in remodeling the weight room, the administration intended to make it more user-friendly. "The goal was definitely to design a weight room that fits the needs of all students to enable everyone to take advantage of the new equipment," he said. All of the machines now have instructions so students will be able to use them more easily, which Seidman believes will make the weight room a "little less intimidating" for students not necessarily accustomed to such machines.

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