By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
With a growing fitness culture at Baylor and across the country, the McLane Student Life Center (SLC) needs to keep up with improvements in the quality of its equipment and amenities, along with the space itself.
After a long day of classes, you want to go unwind and maybe lift weights or play basketball. You walk into the SLC, and you see that everything is packed. You head to the weight room to get a good lift, but you find yourself waiting for weights and machines more than you are actually working out. Then you realize that one of the machines you usually use is out of order.
This is a familiar sight for Baylor students.
As fitness and working out have become major parts of social media and culture, gym attendance and fitness continue to grow, especially among college students. The 2024 U.S. Health & Fitness Consumer Report found that gym and fitness center membership reached a record 72.9 million Americans. The report also showed a 5.8% increase from the previous year, the largest increase since 2017.
This trend is no different at Baylor. The growing student body continues to have a growing desire to work out. Between the last two academic years, fitness center visits have increased from around 158,000 in 2023-24 to 173,000 in 2024-25. With a greater demand for what it provides, the SLC has not seen any particularly notable changes or improvements.
The quality of the equipment and amenities should reflect how important they are to the Baylor student community. There should be a significant focus on improvement and providing the best experience for the students.
Baylor is no stranger to change and improvements on its campus. The Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center and the recently renovated Ruth Collins Hall, Alexander and Memorial Residential Halls are a few notable improvements.
The last major renovation to the SLC was in 2024, with the back porch area, which includes basketball, pickleball and sand volleyball courts, receiving $850,000 in funding. The fitness center, on the other hand, receives occasional changes to machines and workout equipment. While there are no specified plans for future renovations, the Division of Student Life’s Strategic Plan puts an emphasis on improving student and faculty health and wellness.
If Baylor has no issue with renovating its buildings, then the SLC should be at the forefront of the university’s efforts. It is one of the most utilized buildings on campus, housing the counseling center, multiple playing surfaces, a weight room and a pool. It is a hot spot for students, staff and faculty, and because of this, the university should invest the time and effort to make it a place that is geared toward supporting students.
The SLC has not kept up with the evolving campus, especially the fitness center, which sees only occasional improvements in the equipment. Different machines in the weight room and other aspects of the SLC are out of order or outdated, along with an outdated attire policy that is not reflected in most places at Baylor. Meanwhile, other buildings are receiving new major renovations or accommodations each year.
If Baylor and its student culture continue to grow and change, the SLC needs to follow and provide the best for the student body.
