The David S. Mack Fitness Center, Hofstra’s on-campus gym, is open from 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. during the week, and only 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on weekends. These hours have been described as “terrible” in a petition started by a student to push for the hours to change. We continue to see more students express their support for the Fitness Center to change the its hours, with the petition currently obtaining 329 signatures, pushing for the Fitness Center to stay open 24 hours. 

A 24-hour gym on campus would be extremely beneficial to everyone. A common issue that a lot of us students share is that we have a hectic schedule. Some of us have night classes or other important commitments that come first. The fact is, a lot of us work out at the same time, which is after our priorities for the day are complete. We may not have the time to make a trip to the Fitness Center during the week, and especially weekends because it’s only open until 3 p.m.

Hofstra can’t promote a healthier community because we’re restricted to only working out when it fits with the fitness center’s schedule. We, as students, have a right to be productive and work out whenever we desire. I’m sure a lot of us have had those random urges to get up and go work out at 1:00 a.m. 

Students also have different routines for when they would like to work out. Some prefer to work out during the day and go sometime in the morning, afternoon or the evening. Others might prefer to go at night. Everybody’s schedule is different and dictates when they prefer to hit the gym.

Yes, some residence halls do have elliptical machines and/or treadmills that work in a pinch, but the Fitness Center gives students access to other options like weights, basketball courts and a track to run on. We should be able to have access to all of this – whenever we desire.

It would be great if the Fitness Center was open 24 hours as long as there are people who are willing to work night shifts similar to RSR’s. Not only could students benefit from more time to work out, but also student workers would have more opportunities to work extra hours to make more money. 

Other colleges have 24-hour gyms and their campus has only benefited from it. Hofstra has very little to lose if they extended the hours of their Fitness Center. Students would benefit from a change like this and we would definitely start seeing our overall campus health go up. With everyone’s overall health having taken a toll due to the pandemic, the opportunity for students to work on their physical health could help their mental health too, which could easily translate to better academic performance. This would be a major step and would likely be another draw about Hofstra. It’s time that Hofstra starts to accommodate those with busier schedules and odd hours of work.