Men’s Fitness survey places Flagler on list of colleges in need of fitness and nutrition reforms on campus
By Kimberly Hosey
A $250,000 weight room renovation not withstanding, a survey published in Men’s Fitness magazine put Flagler College on its “Academic Probation” list for fitness.
The survey asked questions about such things as fitness programs offered by the school, accessibility of gym hours, quality of the facilities and fast food on campus.
Published in the magazine’s October issue, the poll was administered to 12,500 students at more than 115 colleges and universities nationwide.
“I feel very disappointed … I think we need to pay a great deal of attention to that survey and get on the other side of it,” said Dr. Brian Prueger, sports management professor in charge of buying equipment for and maintaining the gym.
Assistant Dean of Student Services Dirk Hibler said the school originally did not anticipate the gym getting so much use by students.
Recent improvements included a new floor and new bicycles, treadmills and elliptical machines, along with other necessary touch-ups, such as expanding the weight room area.
Hibler also said that the weight area would soon be equipped with flat screen televisions for students to watch while working out.
Prueger added that Flagler is a small college and doesn’t have the money or space to offer the same type of fitness programs as larger schools.
“It’s improved and that’s a good thing, but we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to continue to improve and do new things,” he said.
Fitness classes and programs were also a large factor in the survey.
Many colleges offer free afternoon and evening fitness classes, such as Pilates and aerobics. Flagler currently doesn’t offer any free classes such as these.
Between the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball team practices and games, there is not that much time left to use the gym.
There are, however, six early morning fitness classes throughout the week to choose from. These classes range anywhere from Tai Chi and yoga to tennis.
Flagler also offers five intramural sports leagues including softball, soccer, flag football and volleyball.
Mike Roberson, director of intramural sports, hopes to add two more leagues by next semester: indoor lacrosse and futsall, which is a sport similar to indoor soccer.
“About 35 percent of our students participate in intramurals,” Roberson said. “The national average is only around 30 percent.”
Roberson hopes the intramural leagues will continue to grow, and adds that the students show good sportsmanship and commitment, with many students playing multiple sports.
“The kids are pretty into it, and every year there are more teams. It’s pretty sweet,” said junior Rai Masuda who plays intramural football.
The availability of fast-food restaurants on campus was also a factor in the questionnaire. But with only Molly’s Place on campus, Flagler has no fast food restaurants available to its students.
However, while nearby St. George and King streets don’t have fast food restaurants, they are home to a plethora of popular restaurants, cafés and candy stores.
Regardless of the reasons Flagler made it onto the list, there seemed to be a general consensus among students and faculty alike: they want to get off the “Academic Probation” list.
Sophomore volleyball player Leah Melton said that while she appreciates the new facilities, it is nice to continue seeing improvements.
“We have to keep in mind that the school is old and we need to use what we have,” Melton said. “We just need to give it more time.”
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