With the start of the new semester and throughout the ongoing renovation of campus fitness and recreation facilities, there will be a variety of special events and classes offered to students.

Through the new Sutton Center, students already have access to rowing machines, a group cycling studio space and new basketball courts. The Reynolds gym was originally built in 1955, and the updated facilities represent an increased commitment by students and faculty to increase the health and wellbeing of students.

The gym will have space for students to congregate and de-stress, and new classes will focus on incorporating education into their programs.

Further exciting additions to the space and Reynolds gym will include a two-level climbing wall, racquetball and squash courts, a demonstration kitchen, a juice bar, space for yoga and meditation, a wellbeing suite, a renovated pool and an outdoor amphitheater.

The Sutton Center and Reynolds gym will be connected by a floor-to-ceiling glass atrium and will together form one of the largest buildings on campus, second only to the library.

Until the completion of the renovations in the spring of 2017, campus recreation will be offering a variety of activities to promote the space and the Thrive initiative.

Through Sept. 11, there will be free group fitness opportunities for students with and without memberships, as well as a three part series for flexibility, injury prevention and pain management called “Strengthen and Lengthen.”

This series will begin with an hour-long class on thoracic spine mobility on Sept. 28 in the Miller Center.

The classes target postural issues faced by college students, which result from too much time spent sedentary or hunched over work as “Work Forest” students often are, and that lead to the decreased mobility and athletic performance.

Other specialty classes include Yoga on the Lawn, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) classes and indoor cycle classes. From Sept. 6 through Sept. 11, all group exercise classes typically held on the fourth floor of the Miller Center are also free so that students may explore them before determining whether to purchase a membership pass, which costs $40 each semester. Individual classes typically cost three dollars each.   

These classes and other campus recreation initiatives allow students to preview the new spaces and get excited about the exciting renovations to come.