Be Fit Pitt on hiatus; University Club Fitness Center now open

By SUSAN JONES

The Be Fit Pitt program that kept us moving via live and recorded videos during the summer of 2020 and before that ran a gym for faculty, staff and the community in Trees Hall is currently not active.

The program fell under the School of Education’s Healthy Lifestyle Institute, which was led by John Jakicic until his departure from Pitt at the end of July. Jakicic said Be Fit Pitt was the brainchild of Renee Rogers, a former associate professor in the Department of Health and Physical Activity in the School of Education, who he said left Pitt in April of this year.

School of Education Dean Valerie Kinloch said these faculty transitions have left a leadership gap for Be Fit Pitt, but it’s not going away forever.

“I formed a working group on the Healthy Lifestyle Institute, which the Be Fit Pitt program will fall under that working group,” she said. “My faculty colleagues and some staff colleagues are going to make some proposals for how to strengthen the Be Fit Pitt program. So yeah, it's still here. And we're still going to be doing it. We’ve just got to figure out the leadership of it.”

Be Fit Pitt also allowed faculty and staff to sign up for daily activity reminders and other tips. For now at least, the content that was created last year to help people stay active during the pandemic has disappeared from the Be Fit Pitt YouTube page and the gym for faculty and staff in Trees Hall is closed.

Last year, the School of Education reorganized its six former academic units into three academic departments. The six former academic units — Administrative and Policy Studies, the Center for Urban Education, Health and Physical Activity, Instruction and Learning, Learning Sciences and Policy, and Psychology in Education — were changed to: Educational Foundations, Organizations and Policy; Health and Human Development; and Teaching, Learning and Leading.

As part of the reorganization, the roles of the school’s various centers also have been clarified and slightly altered. The Center for Urban Education, Healthy Lifestyle Institute and the Office of Child Development are now required to offer their services schoolwide, no matter the discipline.

Where to exercise

The University Club Fitness Center is now open again for faculty and staff, but if you plan on coming back and working out in the fitness center, you will need to rejoin.  All memberships were canceled with the lockdown last year, fitness center director Gillian Scott said. You can rejoin at this link. A fitness membership is $40 per month.

The center opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m., but to allow time for additional cleaning and air turnover, the facility will close down for a few hours each day during typically slow times: 9 to  11:15 a.m. and 2 to 4:15 p.m.

Reservations also are required, to maintain a safe capacity, and anyone arriving without one will be turned away. Workouts will be limited to 60 minutes and masks are required at all times.

All of the cardio equipment is still available and plexiglass shields have been installed between and surrounding the equipment for an extra layer of safety. Members will be limited to using every other cardio machine. Most of the equipment that patrons use regularly is still available, including machines, free weights, kettle bells, and more. Group exercise classes are not being offered at this time.

For any questions about the University Club Fitness Center, email Scott at gscott@pitt.edu.

In addition, several facilities run by Student Affairs are open to faculty and staff, including:

  • Trees Hall: Basketball and racquetball courts, climbing wall, driving range, multi-purpose room and the pool

  • Fitzgerald Field House: Balcony, indoor track and squash courts

  • Bellefield Hall: Basketball court and fitness center. The Bellefield pool is currently closed.

Find a list of hours here. You no longer have to book a slot in advance to use most of these facilities.

Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.

 

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