On the 29th of October, the Student Senate voted unanimously to reopen the fitness center on campus.  The approximately $11,500 per year that the fitness center will cost to maintain and operate will come out of the Senate’s “rainy day” fund, which is about $20,000 in total.  Lawrence Garrett, an accounting major, is the student proposing the reopening and says that the cost of the center will not affect any of the other clubs, activities, and operations funded by the Senate. Dorene Bourque, the Exercise Science Coordinator, was understandably excited about the prospect of once again having a useable fitness center for her students and wholeheartedly supported the measure.

The plan is for the Student Senate to fund the fitness center with its own money for up to two years, at which point the school leadership will take over if the usage statistics determine it to be cost-effective.  The hours of operation have yet to be determined, but it is known that the center will be open for approximately 20 hours a week.  So, if you support the idea of having a fitness center on campus that is open to all students, be sure to come down and use it every once in a while to ensure that it remains open and to show the school that this is a wise investment worth taking on.