Students swipe to sweat at Dixon Center

MELISSA STEVEN PERSPECTIVES EDITOR MS727@CABRINI EDU

As Cabrini grows larger so does the Dixon Center’s gym membership, which is why they have placed a new swipe card system has been placed at the front entrance of the Dixon Center. Students and members now must swipe their ID card when they first walk in to the building to ensure that they are allowed to be there.

The system started in May, and community members now have to get photo ID cards when their membership is up for renewal.

“We want to control access and get a better feel of who is using the gym and when,” Dr. Tony Verde, associate professor of exercise science and health promotion, said. He said that with the school population growing they needed to take steps to make sure that the community members who only have access to the pool do not use the fitness center.

The fitness center is the only other place in the building where members must swipe their cards to gain access.

Now members do not have to leave their ID cards at the front desk. “With the old way some- one could take your card. Now you don’t have to worry about that,” Verde said.

Dan Leigh, a sophomore, said, “This way is a lot easier because you don’t have to leave your ID at the front desk and it’s safer that way.”

When the ID is scanned, the picture of the member shows up on the computer screen and lets the person at the front desk know what type of membership they have. “Alot of the community members only have a pool membership,” Verde said, “so for liability reasons they should not be using the fitness center.”

Verde explained that the new system will not only be used for safety reasons but also to collect statistical data. “We want to find out who is using the gym and when,” he said. Most of the members all have trends of when they use the gym and the Dixon Center wants to find out what they are, so in the future they can better accommodate the members, he said.

“We are going to wait one year before really collecting data, and to make any further modifications,” Verde said.

Other adjustment that the Dixon Center has made and is going to make is the new card reader on the back door so that only staff can get in. Also, Verde hopes to put card readers on the fire exits to help reduce people sneaking in and propping doors open.

Verde said, “We are just trying to make the Dixon Center a secure building.”

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