The Campus Recreation Center is more of a meat market and social fishbowl than its purpose proposes.

“It’s really a black eye on Northern,” said Brian Burgess, a senior economics major. He’s right.

The Mission, Vision and Core Values of Recreation Services boasts strong aspirations toward “[encouraging] everyone to engage in pursuing healthy lifestyles.”

Yet, the idea of a gym as a safe haven is lost in the frequent skimpy outfits, pageant makeup and inappropriate pick-up lines found at the Rec.

It’s no secret that walking through the doors of the Rec is like seeing a line-up of your college peers displaying their physical strengths and assets. Eyes will wander and the sexual tension that hangs over campus is amplified by the physical nature of the Rec.

“I’m constantly looking at people and judging people [at the Rec],” said Jamie Wozniak, a sophomore nursing major.

The Rec is unique because of its high concentration of college students.

Burgess had a membership with Cardinal Fitness in Sycamore throughout his junior year. He joined partly out of location convenience and partly out of frustration with the social dramas of the Rec – dramas that shouldn’t be associated with a gym.

Both Wozniak and Burgess like to go during peak times, between early evening and night, when the crowds are more pronounced and the social atmosphere seems to override the recreational aspect.

Burgess said Cardinal Fitness was less crowded with nicer machines and a clientele that seemed more serious about their fitness goals.

“It’s annoying that lots of people just go [to the Rec] to chat,” Burgess said.

However, people at the Rec are missing the mark on their educational goals.

Unfortunately, intimidation is a key player in the Rec’s society.

“I love lifting free-weights, but I won’t go in the weight room because … I feel like I get looks like, ‘That’s not a girl’s place,'” Wozniak said.

Intimidation doesn’t stop with women, either. Overweight or out-of-shape exercisers – male or female – might feel out of place in an environment that should be directed at helping them without judgment.

The mock-social atmosphere has no place in a facility dedicated to healthy lifestyles.

So, if you want to wear makeup just to sweat it off, fine. If you want to interrupt your workout to fix wedgies that your shorts give you every two minutes, fine. If you want to inquire about a peer’s phone number outside of the room, fine.

Just remember that the Rec should be a refuge of comfort to make yourself healthier, and that doesn’t require any drama.