Amy Wetzel/The Veritas NewsAthletic Director Dr. Nancy Detwiler has decided to close the Fitness Center at 10 p.m. after misuse by students.

Amy Wetzel/The Veritas News
Athletic Director Dr. Nancy Detwiler decided to close the Fitness Center at 10 p.m. last week after weeks of misuse by students.

Last Friday, Nov. 22, a notice was posted on the door of the Fitness Center, commonly called the weight room, notifying students that the weight room would now be closing at 10 p.m. instead of midnight.

These new hours apply every day of the week and to all students, not just non-athletes.

The decision for new weight room hours comes as students are pushing for the gym to be open until 2 a.m. on the weekend, but is not related to this semester’s new Sunday gym hours.

Weight room hours have been shortened in response to some students’ disregard to the rules. These rules include working out with a partner, entering only with a student ID card, and—the biggest issue—putting the weights and other equipment back in their appropriate place.

Athletic Director Dr. Nancy Detwiler created and posted this notice on Friday afternoon after discussing with other coaches what would be an appropriate remedy for the issue.

“We’ve talked about this [issue] ad nauseum,” Detwiler said. “The rules are posted all over the weight room, and they’re still being broken.”

The Fitness Center is also used as a classroom and early morning classes have had to spend time cleaning up the weight room before starting class, Detwiler said. One staff member has told Detwiler that one morning he spent 30 minutes putting equipment away before exercising himself.

“You would get thrown out of a gym if you treated a club like this,” Detwiler said.

The theory is that the students who work out late at night are the ones leaving the weight room messy, according to Detwiler. If they are forced to work out earlier, then more responsible students will hopefully confront them and encourage them to clean up after themselves.

There are many students, athletes and non-athletes, who are upset with the laziness of their peers.

“I think there are some people who don’t put [the equipment] back who don’t know any better,” sophomore Cameron Smith, a non-athlete, said. “But there are also people who are just lazy.”

Smith does not agree with the new hours, though.

“I don’t think the new hours are fair,” Smith said. “I think the sign could have been worded better too.”

The new hours are restrictive to some students with busy schedules.

“It upset me,” sophomore Andrew Hudson, also a non-athlete, said. “I’m an engineering major and I have minimal time slots to work out.”

“The only time I have to work out on Tuesday is 10:30 at night. It just throws a wrench into my schedule,” Smith said.

Multiple signs posted in the weight room have been torn down or ripped.

It has not been determined how long these new hours will be in place.