The Berkeley Beacon

Issue date: 9/22/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Beacon photo/Jessica Monarca

Running on treadmills, weightlifting and exercise classes are all part of a membership to the Emerson College Fitness Center (ECFC). In years past, students paid a fee of $154 per semester to use the facilities. Beginning this year, however, the Fitcorp-owned gym is free of charge.

As of the 2005 fall semester, all of the services offered by the fitness center in the basement of the Little Building cost nothing in addition to the regular tuition for students, according to ECFC General Manager Jennifer Finn.

Many new students said having all the benefits of an on-campus workout center at no additional charge was expected.

Emerson graduate student Trae Collins, an integrated marketing communications major, said she simply assumed there would be free gym membership while attending school and had never known there was previously a charge for it at Emerson.

This is Collins' first semester at Emerson; and although she came from a big university where the fitness center was free to students, she said Emerson's facility is "pretty adequate for [the college's] size and student population."

Finn said there have been more people using the gym this semester than in the past since there are no additional fees and nothing to stop students from working out.

"We've seen a lot more students here this year," she said. Finn later added that she was happy about the increase in student usage because "we like to be busy."

Greg Holstein, a junior film major who has been a regular at the ECFC, agrees that there is a surplus in student usage.

"I see a lot more people [in the fitness center] who haven't worked out before," Holstein said.

Emerson students' memberships can be activated by approaching the center's front desk with a fall class schedule and an Emerson ID, according to Finn. From that point on, students can utilize the fitness facilities at their leisure with all the perks of the center available to them.

The ECFC also offers a variety of group fitness classes, which run Mondays through Fridays, starting as early as 7:15 a.m. and ending and as late as 9 p.m. The most popular classes are yoga, pilates, hip-hop and spin, according to Finn.

"We fluctuate [the group classes] based on what is popular," Finn said. "We try to do our best to locate experienced instructors."

If students would like to get a group workout in on the weekends, they can use one of Fitcorp's public centers on Saturdays and Sundays, Finn said.

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