Many Penn State students have been waiting to take a trip back to the gym as a part of their daily routine for the fall semester — and now they have the chance.
The Intramural Building reopened to students on Sept. 25. The White Building and the Hepper Fitness Center do not have plans to reopen.
According to a Penn State News release, students are required to wear masks, practice social distancing with other gym-goers by at least six feet and follow scheduling procedures to prevent the gym from overcrowding.
All students who wish to use the facility must schedule a time slot online prior to visiting the building. They can schedule one session per day up to 48 hours before their session.
Amy Forbes has been to the gym twice since its reopening.
“Personally, I support the reopening of the IM,” Forbes (sophomore-elementary education) said via email. “My current apartment building doesn’t have a gym of any sort, and I really like to use the equipment the IM has like the bike and weights.”
Forbes said she thinks the Campus Recreation workers are doing a “very good job keeping everything safe and sanitary.”
“The only downside is that appointments book up super fast,” Forbes said. “So even if you want to get a workout in at a certain time, you’re just not able to.”
Jennifer Natale has also managed to get her workouts in at the IM.
“I think it’s a good thing it opened, and the measures they have in place make it seem like it’s safe,” Natale (freshman-business) said.
Like Forbes, Natale also said the negative side of going to the IM building is it’s “really hard to get a reservation” and “it fills up really fast.”
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Because of these reservations, though, Natale said the gym is never too overcrowded.
“I mean you get used to having to breathe in it,” Natale said, “but you do have to wear a mask.”
However, not all students are planning on returning to the IM Building now that it’s opened its doors.
Jack Centofante believes the gym should have been open all along.
“All the other gyms are open, so why not?” Centofante (sophomore-business) said. “I won’t go because of the scheduling.”
Sammy Friedman will also not be going to the IM this semester.
“I probably won’t go because of the scheduling,” Friedman (sophomore-marketing) said. “It’s definitely going to fill up really fast.”
Friedman has an off campus apartment, which is also a reason why he plans not to make the trip up to the top of campus.
“I go to LionHeart Fitness because it’s off campus and a lot closer,” Friedman said. “There’s no point in [scheduling] instead of just walking five minutes to LionHeart.”
