Carmichael Gym and Carmichael Recreation Center are two of the busiest places on campus. Students and non-students alike swarm the facilities to get in a workout between classes, exams, study sessions and thousands of other commitments. The Carmichael facilities have great operating hours on the weekdays, but the weekends are a different story. In particular, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday schedules are inconvenient for the NC State community.

Mondays through Thursdays, on regular days, the facilities are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Fridays, the hours are slightly shortened to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays are by far the shortest days, with standard operating hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Finally, on Sundays, the facilities open late — 10 a.m., but stay open until the regular 11 p.m. A full schedule for Carmichael Gym and Recreation System, including schedules for breaks and holidays, can be found here. 

I have, unfortunately, walked down to Carmichael Gym on a Saturday evening once or twice to find the doors closed and the lights off, only to then remember how early it closes. I’m sure quite a few people have woken up early Sunday morning to swim a few laps in the pool and learned about the Carmichael operating hours the hard way.

Adam Sardinha, marketing and communications specialist for NC State Department of University Recreation, discussed how the Recreation Department strives to find that perfect balance. “We know that exercise has tremendous positive effects on academic performance, stress reduction, anxiety reduction,” said Sardinha, “so we want to make sure that the NC State community embodies that wellness and peace.”

The operating hours are accessible and convenient for most students except for Saturdays and Sundays. I, as many other students, often have a lot of things that I need to get done over the weekend, such as work, studying, socializing with friends, and plenty of other things, and by the time I am done, the Saturday schedule leaves me very little time to fit in a quality workout.

When asked about their sometimes-inconvenient closing times, Sardinha stated, “We want to make sure that we have a wide chunk of time that is available for the community, but we also want to recognize that they’re students, so that’s why we haven’t stayed up until midnight, because we want to make sure that students are getting their sleep.”

Sunday is, as I’m sure for many others, my day of rest and relaxation. I would definitely prefer to wake up early and get my workout knocked out so that I can spend the rest of the day taking it easy and getting ready for classes; however, with a 10 a.m. opening, Carmichael makes it impossible for me, and other early-risers who share my preference, to do just that.

Other students also believe that the hours could be optimized for accessibility. Keyshawn Brown, a first-year studying nuclear engineering, stated, “It’s not too bad. I mean, on the weekends I wish it was open for, like, 2 more hours. I like to work out late.”

It’s important that everyone has easy access to a proper place for fitness and exercise. The Mayo Clinic’s official website has listed various positive benefits of working out for the mind and body, which includes weight loss, positive emotional boosts, and deterring various issues. This is especially crucial for students, who often have to deal with a constant stream of stress from balancing all the different aspects of college life, such as academic work, jobs, relationships, clubs and student organizations and other important responsibilities.

Sardinha had his own Carmichael employees in mind when considering operating hours. “We want to make sure that they’re doing well at school, and that they’re balancing being a student employee with their academic load.”

Although the rationale of University Recreation is sound, it would not be detrimental to their operations to stay open for a few more hours on Saturday evenings and open earlier on Sundays.

If you have any comments and critiques that you think would help improve Carmichael Gym, don’t be afraid to let your voice be heard. “We try to get the input from students in terms of how we can guide and assist them because we recognize that we are here to serve the students,” said Sardinha. Feedback for the Recreation Department can be submitted here.