HEART, campus recreation address TSG at State of Campus

On Oct. 25, Temple Student Government held its second State of the Campus address in which university fitness and the Health Education Awareness Resource Team focused on their future plans and current programs.

Director of Campus Recreation Steve Young gave an overview of Temple University Fitness, the new campus recreation fitness facility, which is located at the corner of Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

There are more than 150 pieces of cardio and strength equipment at TUF. Young said this expansion has increased the fitness and space capacity by 130 percent.

“Our idea was to lessen the impact on the [Independence Blue Cross Recreation Center] which was crowded as can be and saturated,” Young said. “By adding that new space, we have completed that objective.” 

Young said approximately 1,000 a day visit TUF, while 1,800 to 2,200 students visit the IBC. In the past, he said, there would be close to 3,000 students a day frequenting the IBC.
“That new facility has helped to alleviate the problems in the IBC and given folks here on campus and the community a whole new opportunity for fitness activity,” Young said.

At the end of the meeting, a poll was taken in which 33 percent of the audience members said that they utilized TUF facilities.

Young also addressed the renovation and construction on Pearson and McGonigle Hall Complex which is slated to finish construction in Summer 2011.

There will be a third and fourth floor added onto Pearson Hall, and an outside structure will be wrapped around the facility.

Young said there will be four basketball courts on the third and fourth floors, a climbing wall in the atrium and a multi-purpose area used for personal training, athletic training for sports clubs and physical therapy for the university.

If a student or employee is injured, Young said, they can schedule an appointment for physical therapy at the new multi-purpose area instead of being referred to NovaCare, a “competitor.”

Afterwards, Dina Stonberg, program director of HEART, explained the fundamentals of the organization and its expectations for the future.

“It’s basically our job to help you guys make healthy choices, so that you can succeed academically,” Stonberg said.

HEART focuses on a variety of topics, including alcohol, other drugs and interpersonal violence, wellness and sexual health, healthy lifestyles and peer education.

Stonberg said HEART is now attempting to make impactful programming options for students instead of one-time workshops with less significance.

TSG will resume its regular meetings Nov. 1.

Cary Carr can be reached at cary.carr@temple.edu.