UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Campus Recreation is expanding its operational hours and engagement opportunities for students beginning on March 15. The expanded hours will result in over 4,600 opportunities per week for students between reservable workout sessions and program additions. All students will still be required to adhere to COVID-19 protocol, which includes wearing a mask and social distancing.
The Intramural (IM) Building and Hepper Fitness Center will expand hours to 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday. Weekend hours will change to 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to midnight on Sunday. With these expanded hours, Campus Recreation will provide students with over 2,500 more reservable time slots per week for working out.
Students will benefit from additional program offerings as a result of both expanded hours and opening additional participation spaces. Additional space in Gym 1 has been converted into an informal recreation area, including spin bikes and a core workout area. This area can accommodate up to 12 patrons at a time. The bouldering wall will also open on March 15 with three individual climbing lanes available during each reservation slot. Bouldering will open with 37 reservable sessions, accommodating 222 climbers each week. The IM Building track and cardio areas on the second floor opened the week of March 8.
Fitness and Wellbeing’s program is converting several current virtual classes to in-person classes available starting March 15 on the indoor turf and in one of the fitness studios in the IM Building. This transition will add 15 in-person classes to the weekly fitness schedule, adding 302 new slots each week.
Also starting on March 15, is the addition of 23 new sessions for informal swim sessions at McCoy Natatorium. This will result in 138 extra spots weekly for students to utilize. Additionally, Outdoor Adventures will introduce whitewater kayak pool sessions for students at McCoy each Wednesday night throughout the semester starting on March 17.
Beginning on March 22, Intramural Sports will head outside to offer outdoor games of cornhole, human foosball soccer and bocce through various Intramural leagues. Special events during the month include a three-point basketball shootout on Wednesday, March 17.
Campus Recreation opportunities are currently only available to students in continued efforts to prioritize student engagement and participation. Advanced registration is required for all opportunities through the online registration portal or via the Penn State CRec app, available for download at the iOS and Google app stores. App users can also request push notifications for their favorite facility or program areas to stay informed of new programs or changes. The most current and up-to-date information for Campus Recreation, its facilities, and the programs offered for students can be found on the Campus Recreation website. Additional updates and changes to these operational hours and procedures will be communicated via the Student Affairs website.