U. to exercise aerobics changes

Recent student complaints of overcrowding and a shortage of equipment at many of the University's aerobics classes have not fallen on deaf ears, as the Recreation Department quickly announced steps designed to remedy the problems. "This all caught us off-guard. We know we have to make some critical changes -- either to get more steps or get more space," said Recreation Director Mike Diorka. Until this year, students signed up for specific aerobics classes and did not have the option of attending other sessions. Recreation officials had hoped to improve the system this year by offering registered students unlimited access to any of the 26 classes offered weekly at either Gimbel or Hutchinson gymnasiums. The price for the aerobics program increased marginally from $45 to $55. However, certain classes have proven more popular than others, leading to overcrowding problems at favorite times. "It's crazy. It's way too big," said College freshman Miriam Kiss, who was one of the 75 students attending Wednesday's 4:30 p.m. aerobox class in Gimbel. College junior Robyn Horowitz added that "this is getting to be a little much -- you can't kick out enough." In addition to the overcrowding problems, students have also complained of insufficient amounts of aerobic equipment such as steps, weights and mats. At a Gimbel step class last week, for example, approximately 10 registered students were sent away because there were not enough steps. Gimbel can hold 66 steps for classes, although Diorka estimates there are only 40-50 steps currently available. The lack of equipment forces many students to go to classes early in order to reserve a step. When questioned about the problems, Diorka stressed that he is working to address the student concerns. "Market West [the company which outfits the University with aerobics instructors and equipment] is going to bring up 20 steps from Hutch which are not being used there," he said Wednesday. Students offered a variety of their own suggestions on improving the Recreation Department's aerobics program. "They should definitely figure out which classes are the most popular, and then offer more of them. I really like the aerobox -- and so do lots of other people," Horowitz said. Diorka agrees that there are certainly classes which attract more people, but he feels limited by the available spaces and times. "People like the 4 o'clock, but we have classes at 5 and 6. We need to somehow encourage more people to go then because we can't accommodate everyone space-wise [at 4 p.m.]," he said. Students were also concerned that unregistered people were attending the classes. In response, Diorka emphasized that instructors will be more strict about checking for registration cards.

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