2008 Woodie Awards
Gym T-shirt policy changed
Controversial policy replaced with personal hygiene tips, more cleaning equipment
Ryan Hunter
Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: News
Working out at Reed Gymnasium will no longer require a T-shirt, but will instead require greater personal responsibility for hygiene by gym attendees, according to Reed Gym officials.
The controversial policy, introduced Nov. 8, 2007, mandated all gym attendees to don T-shirts while working out in the weight and cardio areas of Reed Gym. As of Monday, March 3, that policy has been replaced by a new policy that provides tips for avoiding the spread of disease through better personal hygiene and workout practices. The new policy will also provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer at all check-in desks, as well as more sanitation stations with spray bottles and paper towels to encourage gym attendees to wipe down workout equipment before and after use.
"We're still concerned about risks in those areas, but we've elected to transfer responsibility to the participants," said Doug Milder, Director of Campus Recreation. "It's a good compromise."
Signs that detail the new policy and hygiene information from the Center for Disease Control Web site are now posted throughout the weight and cardio fitness rooms.
The controversial T-shirt policy met with almost immediate resistance and complaints from students and faculty alike after it was implemented. Campus Recreation officials said the policy was intended to prevent the spread of a certain type of staph infection, known as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA (pronounced "mursa"), commonly found in public places such as gyms.
Psychology professor Nicole Prause, however, immediately contacted Campus Recreation and expressed concerns over the policy and the intent behind it. She claimed that the risk of MRSA in gyms was rather low, and was most effectively prevented through good hygiene practices, citing CDC Web site information.
Campus Recreation officials decided to review the policy following a President's Cabinet meeting Monday, Jan. 29. Questions about the policy were also brought before the ASISU Senate during their meeting Monday, Feb. 4. Milder responded to the concerns raised during that meeting by graduate student Chris Tillman, among others, by reiterating that prevention of disease was the main motivation for implementing the policy.
The controversial policy, introduced Nov. 8, 2007, mandated all gym attendees to don T-shirts while working out in the weight and cardio areas of Reed Gym. As of Monday, March 3, that policy has been replaced by a new policy that provides tips for avoiding the spread of disease through better personal hygiene and workout practices. The new policy will also provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer at all check-in desks, as well as more sanitation stations with spray bottles and paper towels to encourage gym attendees to wipe down workout equipment before and after use.
"We're still concerned about risks in those areas, but we've elected to transfer responsibility to the participants," said Doug Milder, Director of Campus Recreation. "It's a good compromise."
Signs that detail the new policy and hygiene information from the Center for Disease Control Web site are now posted throughout the weight and cardio fitness rooms.
The controversial T-shirt policy met with almost immediate resistance and complaints from students and faculty alike after it was implemented. Campus Recreation officials said the policy was intended to prevent the spread of a certain type of staph infection, known as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA (pronounced "mursa"), commonly found in public places such as gyms.
Psychology professor Nicole Prause, however, immediately contacted Campus Recreation and expressed concerns over the policy and the intent behind it. She claimed that the risk of MRSA in gyms was rather low, and was most effectively prevented through good hygiene practices, citing CDC Web site information.
Campus Recreation officials decided to review the policy following a President's Cabinet meeting Monday, Jan. 29. Questions about the policy were also brought before the ASISU Senate during their meeting Monday, Feb. 4. Milder responded to the concerns raised during that meeting by graduate student Chris Tillman, among others, by reiterating that prevention of disease was the main motivation for implementing the policy.
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