Penn State students who frequent the gym refreshed by change in university masking policy
UNIVERSITY PARK, P.a. — The woman walking on the treadmill is clearly not new to working out. Her expensive-looking running shoes and sleek monochrome sports bra and athletic leggings are topped with a hat pulled low over her face; a sign that she doesn’t want to be approached by others in the Intramural building.
The beeping treadmill signals a change in speed and the woman starts to jog and then run. She does so almost gracefully, breathing rhythmically.
Eventually, she slows back down to a walk and takes a sip from the insulated water bottle she brought with her, which she no longer has to pull a mask down to do.
A long-awaited change was made on March 23 when Penn State officially changed its masking policy so that face masks were no longer required in indoor spaces. This meant that campus recreation facilities like the Intramural (IM) building and the White building were now mask-optional. For many students, this was — literally — a breath of fresh air.
Mandatory masking caused students to use campus recreation facilities less
While some students didn’t particularly mind or care about working out with a face mask, other students were not fans, like senior Kendall Juluke.
Juluke goes to the IM two days a week, which was less than he had in the past because he didn’t like wearing a mask. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, he said
Juluke was very happy when Penn State said he no longer had to wear a mask and said he planned on going more often
“I feel like I’m not being punished,” he said. “I feel more free.”
He was not the only student who was glad to no longer be wearing a mask while active.
Gabriella Becerra, junior, had only just started working out this year and said she didn’t like wearing a mask.
“I don’t want to,” she said. “I just don’t breathe right wearing it while working out.”
Becerra said that having to be masked made her want to work out less so she didn’t go to the IM often. While she didn’t think the masking policy was really enforced, she couldn’t say for sure because she didn’t go much.
Maddy Chichester, junior, said the only enforcement the IM had were announcements made over the intercom to wear a mask. She used to go often but has recently gone less because of a busy schedule.
Chichester said she would wear a mask while at the gym, but never wore it properly. She was never told to fix it personally by any employees and she never witnessed anyone else being told to do so.
Why some students don’t mind wearing a face mask while they work out
Julia Dermody, senior, tries to go the gym twice a week. She had worked out on campus before the pandemic and said the only thing that changed how often she went to the gym was her own schedule.
“I didn’t mind wearing a mask, it was just annoying how sweaty it got under there,” Dermody said.
Now that she has an option, Dermody said she doesn’t plan on wearing a mask anymore to the IM.
Sophomore Drew Stuffick, on the other hand, has never worked out on campus pre-pandemic and hadn’t even started working out seriously until after the pandemic had started.
Stuffick goes to the gym almost every day primarily to work out but said he’ll also do other things if he goes with his friends, like rock climbing or court games.
In areas like the gym where everyone is huffing and puffing, Stuffick thinks that the policy shouldn’t have been lifted. However, he also said he feels ”indifferent” about the policy change.
“If I don’t have to absolutely wear a mask then I won’t because I’m vaccinated,” he said. “Although on days where I’m feeling kinda under the weather I will put one on and limit my own spread of whatever I have.”
Madison Allen, also a sophomore, goes to the gym a few days a week with her boyfriend. He focuses on weight lifting while she sticks to cardio using the treadmill, elliptical, and StairMaster which is “kind of the worst”, she said.
Because her boyfriend is currently pledging they go less often, down to maybe two days a week from three or four. Typically they go to the White Building because it’s closer but when they have the time Allen said they go to the IM because it’s nicer.
Allen said masking was enforced much more at the IM than the white building and that the White building didn’t have announcments like the IM did.
“There was a little bit of a nose issue but I think everyone was pretty compliant,” she said.
She doesn’t wear a mask currently after the change in rules because she recently had COVID-19 and believes her risk of transmission is low, but said she wouldn’t mind wearing a mask again while working out once her natural immunity fades.
Overall, she doesn’t really care about whether she has to wear a face mask or not.
“It’s not that hard to me, I don’t understand why people don’t do it,” Allen said. “It’s not something that affects me at the end of the day.”
