East Campus Weight is the gym of use while the reconstruction of D’Angola continues
By Kervin Coleman | Published November 3, 2022
The D’Angola weight room is closed for the Fall 2022 semester as it undergoes renovations. It is estimated to re-open for the Spring 2023 semester.
Renovations have been made to the football field, a new track was constructed, along with a new scoreboard and a titantron. The athletic department also received new uniforms.
While the D’Angola weight room undergoes reconstruction, the East Campus weight room is the new interim gym.
The gym is open for daily use but has been criticized for its hours of operation and its size. The hours vary daily but a constant is the faculty hour rule.
On Mondays through Thursdays students can use the gym as early as 9 a.m. but must leave by 4 p.m. Faculty members then have access to the gym from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students may then return from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Michael Giovanelli, a sophomore, has been using the East Campus gym since the beginning of the semester and he is annoyed that faculty is using the gym too because 4 p.m. to-6 p.m. is when most students get out of classes.
“I wish the faculty hours could’ve been earlier since 4-6 is right when most people get out of class,” Giovanelli said.
Azure Jones, a freshman, and member of the women’s field hockey team has only experienced working out at the East Campus gym.
“If I were in charge I feel that I would improve by putting the hours out there. I’m not even sure what the hours are and people that are looking for a gym to go to need to be informed,” Jones said.
“The people [in the gym] should be respectful enough to put away their stuff as well as clean the weights,” Jones said. East Campus has a good atmosphere and I’d hope that would continue into this new gym.
Students have asked why the reconstruction of the D’Angola weight room is happening during the semester instead of over the summer.
Kean Recreation Director Paul Williams said the reconstruction project began as soon as it was approved.
During the 2021-2022 school year, a proposal to renovate the weight room in D’Angola was drafted. It went through a series of approvals and is now seeing an estimated opening in the Spring 2023 semester.
“We’re making a million-dollar reconstruction of the gym for the betterment of student health but the concept took a long time to get approved,” Williams said. “That’s why renovations didn’t take place in the summer”.
There wasn’t much information disclosed regarding what the gym will look like after the renovation and reconstruction is complete. The doors are covered and locked shut so no one can see the progress.
Williams described the new weight room to be bigger, to be more properly managed. In his opinion, the previous weight room was viewed as too cramped and had little space to maneuver as well as an overall limitation when it came to machines.
The department decided to create more space by tearing down the Gymnastics room and adding it to the weight room. More common machines will be built and in use and another new feature will be the addition of a turf area. Another new feature is an access area for the handicapped to make their workout experience easier.
“Better and more equipment, more space, and a more lively atmosphere is the goal for the gym when it opens,” Williams said. “I hope everybody enjoys.,”
The target date for completion is January 3, 2023.