The Pendulum
NEW STUDENT EDITION
Friday, August 29, 2008 / Page 5
Campus Rec gives students fun ways to stay fit
Whitney Bossie
News Editor
Freshman year is packed
with all things new and
exciting. Between bonding with
new friends, joining campus
organizations, adjusting to
cohabitation with roommates
and, of course, attending
classes, it’s easy to forget to
practice healthy habits.
Elon’s Campus Recreation
offers a variety of programs
and facilities to keep students
(freshmen and upperclassmen
alike) on the track toward
a healthy lifestyle. The
recreation center contains a
fitness center, an indoor pool, a
gymnasium, racquetball courts
and group exercise studios, all
accessible through the swipe
of a Phoenix card. The Driving
Range, which is located on
South Campus, is also open to
the Elon community.
Peter Tulchinsky, director
of Campus Recreation, said the
organization acts as a positive
outlet for students.
“Many of our freshmen were
athletes in high school but
will not be on varsity teams at
Elon, so taking part in Campus
Rec activities allows them to
continue the active, healthy
lifestyle they enjoyed in high
school," Tulchinsky said.
Campus Rec’s club sports
program allows students
to compete against other
collegiate club teams from
the Southeast in more than 20
sports, including swimming,
lacrosse and tennis. The
recreation center also has
an Intramurals program,
which organizes competitions
between Elon students in
activities such as flag football,
dodgeball and cornhole.
According to the Campus
Recreation Web site, almost
half of all Elon students
participate in at least one
intramural or club sport. More
information about becoming
involved with either program
will be available to new
students at the Organization
Fair on Friday, Sept. 5.
A variety of group exercise
classes are open to students,
as well. For a SIO fee, students
can attend an unlimited
amount of classes throughout
the academic year. Classes
such as Pilates, Cycling and
Awesome Abs are taught by
student instructors.
For students looking to keep
in touch with nature while
staying fit, the Elon Outdoors
program offers several student-
led trips during each semester.
Whitewater rafting, skiing and
DAVID WELLS | Photo Editor
Student worker Kevin McGuire cleans up the Campus Recreation facilities and puts dumbbells back in place.
backpacking trips are planned
for the fall, among others. The
program also rents camping
equipment to students for fees
ranging from $1 to $2S.
The activities offered by
Campus Rec generally appeal
to a large range of students.
Last year, there were over
166,000 visits to the facility.
“Hopefully, Campus Rec
will expose new students to
different activities and allow
them to try new recreational
experiences,” Tulchinsky said.
^Undecided^ undergmds are in good company
Margeaux Corby
Opinions Editor
Elon freshmen quickly learn that they will be asked
two questions consistently throughout their four or
more years at the university: “Where are you from?”
and “What are you majoring in?”
Looking at the statistics of incoming freshmen,
the answer to the first question will most likely be
North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey or Virginia. The
answer to the second question may be a little more
nebulous.
There is a pressure for incoming freshmen to know
what they plan to major in but with more than 50
majors to choose from, many find themselves lost in
a swarm of unfamiliar majors and asking their own
questions: “What is public administration?” and “Do I
want a strategic or broadcast communications major?”
For those confused, their degree audit reads
‘undecided', although that classification can be
equally obscure and scary.
According to Troy Martin, assistant director of
Academic Advising, these students are not lost or
inferior — they are in a place of exciting exploration.
“Academic Advising values and appreciates
undecided students,” Martin said. “They have the
opportunity to see what Elon has to offer but also to
find out about themselves.”
Martin claims that many students find choosing
a major difficult because they don't know all the
options and have difficulty narrowing down the
possibilities.
“Sometimes they've begun to go down a path and
they get there and its not what they thought it would
be,” Martin said.
According to the National Association of Colleges
and Employers (NACE) 2005 survey, 26.5 percent
of those surveyed changed their majors once, 12.1
percent changed their majors twice and 9 percent
changed their majors three times or more.
“Particularly at Elon students are goal-orientated
and sometimes it does feel lonely to be undecided,”
Martin admitted. “But you can become aware of things
you didn’t know existed.”
He said that students and parents find it easier
to choose a major that they can see progress into
a career, hence the
popularity of business,
communications and
biology majors, and
are afraid to explore
those that become a
little bit more abstract
such as philosophy
and sociology.
The NACE 2005
survey stated that
68.6 percent of
respondents chose
their major because
of the kind of work
associated with it.
Academic Advising
has many resources
for those undecided
students: the most
comprehensive being
the one-hour COE
111 Exploring Majors
course offered each
semester. The class concentrates of clarifying values
and exploring personal lifestyle issues.
“We strongly encourage students to think of
majors in terms of skill sets rather than job titles,”
Martin said.
There are several majors, including elementary
education, exercise sport science, all science majors,
pre-engineering and music theatre/music, that need
to be declared first semester of freshman year in
order to graduate in four years. Students are strongly
urged to declare by their fourth semester.
V.
When it’s dark outside and students have a long walk ahead of them, there are
two services that provide safe and sober rides on and off campus.
E-Rides:
—Elon-run transportation system
—Provides one-way rides from any
on campus location to off campus
residences within a 10 minute
walking radius
—Available Monday-Thursday from
7 p.m.-2 a.m. and Fridays 7 p.m.-10
p.m.
-Call: (336) 278-5555
Safe Rides:
—Student-run volunteer organization
—Provides one-way rides on and
off campus as an alternative to
students drunk driving or walking
alone
—Available Thursdays 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
and Fridays and Saturdays 10:30
p.m.-2:30 a.m.
-Call: (336) 278-7433
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