Planning needed to prioritize fitness class

The Fitness Class offered by the college is known as one of the most failed classes each semester – it is also one of the most passed.

Dixie State College has provided the class since 1995. Thousands of students have participated in the class since then. Many have failed.

"It's not a traditional class," Fitness Center Director Christian Hildebrandt said. "A majority of the students taking the class are freshmen. Because they don't have to have face time in front of an instructor they tend to forget and not schedule then get caught. If that happens, it can be too late."

Every time students visit the Eccles Fitness Center they can see where they stand. Staff members are told, instructed and trained to help students understand their current class progress on each visit.

According to the 2012 Spring Semester Course catalog, students are asked to make two weekly visits with a minimum 30-minute stay. A total of at least 30 accumulated hours by the end of the semester is required. The goal of the class is to get people active to some degree.

"We just want people to be active to a level they are capable of," Hildebrandt said. "Forcing people defeats the purpose of creating an environment that people can enjoy and carry that habit of wanting to exercise."

Another possible reason so many students fail the class may be due to lack of interest.

"They should have more classes and cool aerobic activities that are more interesting than just working out or doing intramurals," said Lauren Reber, a junior business administration major from Santa Clara. "The class can be pointless. You can just sign in and leave."

Students just have to sign in at the Fitness Center to get the weekly credit. Originally, the class started out requiring students to only be in the Fitness Center, but now students can do various activities on campus. Students have the option to run on the track, play on the field, participate in intramurals, complete fitness loops and visit the Student Activities Center. The only restriction is students can't leave campus since it is a liability issue.

"You would be naive to think that students don't try to work the system," Hildebrandt said. "It's only a handful of students who try to work the system. A little more than 90 percent try to do what they are asked to do and do it legitimately."

Many changes have taken place over the years with the hope of improving students' overall experiences. Students are encouraged to make suggestions for ideas concerning equipment.

Over the summer a student suggested change to the pull up bar area because it was heavily congested, Hildebrandt said. Now there are pull up bars and ring systems in the hallway. Students have asked for heavier dumbbells, and now the Fitness Center has dumbbells ranging from 105 to 150 pounds.

"I'm in the process right now trying to negotiate … to get money to replace old strength equipment," he said. "I'm always open and looking for ways to improve the Fitness Center. I would love to be able to make the Fitness Center bigger, and I am open to suggestions on how to do that."

Students don't need to be in the class to take advantage of the Fitness Center. Any student can buy a Fitness Center membership for $30 a semester. This amount averages to about $8 a month.

"We can't compete with large gyms with equipment and size, but we have better ancillary and auxiliary equipment than most places," Hildebrandt said.

The Eccles Fitness Center is located directly north of the football stadium. Students are encouraged by Fitness Center staff to make exercise a consistent priority for better overall health.

"The only thing is that it's hard to motivate myself to actually go and do it," said Mckell Smith, a sophomore communication major from Morgan. "When I do end up going, I like it."