By Mikhaila S. Dansby
Student use of Brooks City-Base Health and Wellness Center has increased by 62 percent while the rate of use for faculty and staff has decreased by 43 percent.
Crissy Chafitelli, assistant manager of Brooks City-Base Health and Wellness Center, said about 122 students and 13 faculty members are currently signed up for a membership.
That compares to an estimated 75 students and 30 employees who were signed up for a membership in the spring, as reported by The Mesquite on April 6.
As a start-up member of The Texas A&M-System, this university does not have an athletic building. The university began leasing the Brooks center upon moving to Main Campus Building and Brooks City-Base Campus in fall 2011 giving students and employees free access to the facility.
An A&M-San Antonio campus development plan presented at convocation in August lists an athletic building under proposed buildings and facilities.
According to the development plan update produced by Alamo Architects, construction would take place during 2014 in phase two of campus development. University enrollment during phase two is expected to reach 5,000. Renderings show the building located directly behind Central Academic Building, which will face University Way.
Student Access
The health and wellness center, 2860 Louis Bauer Drive, allows faculty and students to use the gym at no cost. Both faculty and students are required to have a gym membership before they are able to exercise in the facility.
Students must provide a student ID along with proof of registration and a completed membership form, which is provided in the health and wellness center.
By logging on to Jaguar Connect, students can retrieve a copy of their student status by clicking on student and financial aid, student records and account summary.
For faculty members, a faculty ID must be presented along with the completed membership form.
The 2,200 square foot complex gym offers a full basketball court, free weights, nautilus equipment, cardio rooms, a sauna and a full outside track and field. The gym offers state of the art cardio equipment, free weights, machine weights, Zumba, aerobics, soccer fields, football field, tennis courts, running track, basketball court and free Wi-Fi comfort area, Chafitelli confirmed.
Zumba classes are offered at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and cardio boot camp is 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
Rick Trefzer, assistant vice president for finance and administration confirmed that Brooks Campus and the gym were leased for 5 years from Brooks Development Authority for $3,276,480, as reported on The Mesquite.
Academic use
In addition to recreational use, faculty in the School of Education and Kinesiology schedule use of the gym as a physical education site.
There are about four kinesiology classes that use the gym for class. Assistant kinesiology Professor Patricia Holmes teaches one class exclusively at the gym. The rest of the kinesiology professors use the facility as portions of their class.
There is an estimated 100 undergraduate students and about 20 graduate students in the kinesiology program.
Assistant kinesiology Professor John Smith said he is able to utilize the gym as a teaching facility.
“The gym is a physical education site; it’s a classroom for physical education students,” Smith said.
He said the health and wellness center, located a few blocks away from Brooks City-Base Campus, allows kinesiology faculty to teach in a suitable setting. The center allows kinesiology students to use the space and equipment in the gym to practice the objectives and concepts outlined in his syllabi.
“Our students are able to get the experience they need to prepare them for when they go out into their profession,” he said.
He added that he is thankful for the space and equipment inside the gym and for the opportunity for students to practice their profession in a facility on par with facilities they are likely to have access to when they are employed in their field.
Without access to the facility, Smith said kinesiology students would be struggling to keep up with course expectations. The facility, he said, helps students understand what it’s like to teach.
“If they didn’t have the gym, they wouldn’t have hands-on experience,” he said. For instance, in the gym setting, kinesiology students “are able to assess whether or not the gym is safe,” by evaluating safety protocols such as exit signs, automated external defibrillators, first aid kits, loose or broken objects and dusty floors.
The gym is open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call the Brooks City-Base Health and Wellness Center at 210-251-3997.
