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Rec. Center shirt policy to take effect in spring

Published on October 6, 2009 by Heather Cook

The Student Recreation Center will require students to wear shirts with sleeves on all weight lifting equipment and mats beginning in spring 2010.

The Sentinel Students pump iron in the Recreation Center. A new policy regarding gym attire will take effect in spring. Photo by Karlee Gonzalez.

Shirts will not be required on the treadmills and other cardiovascular equipment.

The purpose of the new policy is to help prevent the spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacteria that causes infections that are difficult to treat, according to Donald Brookshire, assistant director of The Student Recreation Center.

“The Student Recreation Center on campus is taking measures to reduce the chances of students contacting MRSA,” said Brookshire. ”Since MRSA is spread by contact, we are requiring all patrons of the Student Recreation Center to wear shirts with sleeves on all weight equipment and mats in the facility. In addition, we encourage the patrons to wash their hands frequently and use the cleaning solution provided by the facility to wipe down equipment before and after each use.”

“We are taking a proactive stance to prevent the spread of MRSA due to recent outbreaks in other like facilities such as commercial gyms and other university recreation centers,” said Brookshire.

MSRA manifests itself in its host as tiny red bumps that look like bug bites. These bumps can be accompanied by a fever and potentially a rash. As the infection progresses, the bumps grow larger and become pus-filled boils. When the infection goes untreated for a while, vital organs can become affected.

Some of the more common results of MSRA are necrotizing pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome and widespread infection of the whole body. Unfortunately, MSRA is a very difficult bacteria to treat because of its resiliency to many antibiotics, such as cephalexin. An interesting, yet unconventional way of treating MSRA has been through maggot therapy, in which the larvae clean out the necrotic tissue caused by the infection.

MSRA can be prevented by taking precautions such as cleaning the surfaces of the equipment, which all clients in the gym are supposed to do.

“The recreation center provides a cleaning solution for students to use on equipment before and after use,” said Brookshire. ”Student employees are also required to clean equipment during their shift in order to maintain a safe environment for our patrons.”

Attendants in the gym will enforce the policy. If a student is not in compliance with the policy, they will be asked to adhere to the dress code accordingly.

“Our attendants in, for example, the strength floor, cardio floor and XP room, will monitor to make sure the dress code is followed,” said sophomore and employee Karen Ruper.

“We hope that students will understand that we are doing this for their benefit and that this will improve the student’s gym-going experience,” said Brookshire.