Sometimes we all are forced to eat a little humble pie, and after my heated shots at the Mueller Center two weeks ago in this newspaper, I find myself reaching for a plate and fork.
I’m not apologizing for the opinions I expressed two weeks ago. I still feel the changes made to the basement floor of the Mueller Center are not the best thing for the facility or the students. The new machines are cumbersome, complicated, and still resulted in the removal of several of the most popular items: the bench press, incline press, and decline press.
I am contrite, however, for the way I attacked the Mueller Center before gathering the full facts in this case. I acted out of frustration and ignorance, but that does not relieve me from my journalistic duty to fully investigate the facts before making a statement, whether it is an editorial or news article.
The intentions of Steve Allard, John Rowan, and the rest of the Mueller Center management are noble. The new equipment, the adjustable squat cages, and half racks do offer more exercises (up to 11) on just one machine, including bench press, allowing for maximum capacity in an already overcrowded gym.
Efficiency, according to Allard and Rowan, was the least of their concerns when they decided to replace the older presses with these new additions. Instead, they focused their efforts to find the safest equipment.
All the new racks come with adjustable safety bars that can be customized for individuals working out alone, which constitutes 75 percent of Mueller Center visitors. The Mueller Center staff will also be posting short informational video clips on its website to explain how to use the new adjustable cages and do all the available exercises.
This increased focus on safety is something I encouraged the Mueller Center to look at in my last article: to protect and serve the needs of all Rensselaer students. Their effort in this area is commendable despite the fact that it forces gym regulars such as myself to change our routine.
Allard and Rowan have also ordered new dumbbells and universal benches, changes I would have realized were coming if I properly examined the issue. Some of these new tools have already arrived while a new set of dumbbells and a few more benches are being considered by the E-Board and the Mueller Center Staff. These new acquisitions were necessary given the condition of some of the older dumbbells and the replacement of the bench presses.
The changes at the Mueller Center have not received a resounding endorsement from athletes on the 21 of 23 athletic teams that use the facilities or from the pack of gym rats that live in the windowless Mueller Center basement. Nevertheless, safety must be considered, and I—despite my distaste with some of the modifications—applaud Allard and Rowan for having the foresight to make the right decision rather than the popular one.
