The Daily Toreador - Student Newspaper of Texas Tech

Issue date: 8/25/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Kerry Lentz

Whether it's homework, tests, socializing or rushing, students can easily find an excuse to skimp out on their exercise routine.

However, with the variety of activities available at the Robert H. Ewalt Student Recreation Center, students might find it easier to stay in the habit.

The center is providing new classes and equipment, and for those who prefer to exercise outside, the center will rent out road and mountain bikes to students and faculty.

Approximately 4,500 people come through the center each day, including faculty, students and guests, said Pee Wee Roberson, senior associate director of facilities and operations at the center. In a year, the center has close to a million visitors.

"Last year was the first time I actually saw people standing in line to get on a treadmill," Roberson said. "And last year was the first time I heard a student say that he thought the free weight room was too small."

Jeff Key, coordinator for the Personal Fitness and Wellness Program, said he plans to increase the number of teaching assistants to keep pace with growth of the university.

He said he would also like to implement more online classes to better suit students with challenging schedules.

"The idea of offering online courses would be to offer activity classes to those students that need more flexibility in their schedules due to family and working commitments," he said.

Since last year, six TAs have been hired, bringing the total to 22. This move will allow for smaller class sizes.

"We hired more assistants because we want graduate students to focus more on their own classes," he said. "They already teach more classes than any other graduate student on campus."

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