By Andrew Ragali, Special to The Recorder

What do students prefer using, campus exercise facilities, or other off campus gyms in and around the New Britain area? Two CCSU students weigh in on the pros and cons of both.

Joseph Chaves, a senior, likes that the facilities on campus are free. “If you don’t have enough money,” said Chaves, “the school gym is free, so you can’t go wrong with that.”

Brian Nicholas, also a senior, likes the fact that there is no driving involved if you live on campus and use the campus facilities. “It’s a lot easier to get to the school gym then any of the other gyms in the area,” said Nicholas.

On the other hand, he thinks that off campus gyms offer better equipment. “The weights go higher at gyms like Big Sky or Cardio Express,” said Nicholas, “at the school gym the free weights only go up to 75 pounds.” Chaves agrees that the school facilities equipment is “not up to par” with any gym in the area.

One-reason students may prefer off campus facilities are the other services that CCSU gyms cannot provide, including special classes, trainers, and tanning. “Other services other than working out definitely makes area gyms a little more attractive,” said Nicholas.

Students may also factor in the size of the gym when deciding whether to stay on campus to workout or not. “Off campus gyms are bigger, so it’s faster to get on equipment,” said Chaves.

Students who might not be willing to spend money on a gym membership to get a better workout don’t have to suffer. CCSU has recently opened up brand new facilities on the bottom levels of the Sam May and Beecher dormitories to go along with the original gym on the bottom floor of Kaiser Hall.