The 3-year-old, $30 million University Recreation Center is considered the most attractive place on campus to many students, said senior physics and math major, Clint Ogujiofor.But despite the best efforts of Rec Center staff to keep it that way, occasional breakdowns with Rec Center equipment do occur.

Of the nearly 1,200 students who come into the Rec Center daily, few know what they can do if equipment breaks down or malfunctions.

Trey Morrison, director of fitness and wellness, said students can report problems with machines to any weight room staff or personal trainers or they can choose to fill out a complaint form.

He said the staff looks over the exercise machines daily and a service technician comes on a weekly basis to examine the machines to ensure they are in working order.

“(The weight room staff and trainers) expect cleanliness and make sure all the nuts and bolts are in the right place, where the tech will actually break down tread and look at the actual workings of the machines.”

But Christie McAdams, a December graduate with a degree in advertising/public relations, said she has seen treadmills take up to two weeks to repair but she never expressed concern with the equipment out of fear that the staff would not be able to fix the problem.

“It’s frustrating because we have this great facility, and stuff that you come to use doesn’t work,” McAdams said.

Although all machines need consistent maintenance, certain machines, such as treadmills and elliptical cross-trainers, are more popular with students and patrons, Morrison said, and thus, need to be monitored with a closer eye.

“We do have machines that get more use than others, but I think that’s a struggle of every facility, be it school or private (health club),” Morrison said.

He said breaks that require ordering parts can take more time to fix depending on whether the parts are already in inventory and ready to ship or need to be fabricated.

Jennifer Scott, a sophomore habilitation of the deaf major, who works in the weight room 15 hours a week, said she sees an average of two to three students and patrons each week reporting a broken machine.

Scott said she thinks she is knowledgeable about the machines and can troubleshoot them fairly well.

“Some people know more about the machines than others,” she said. “We usually go over to the machine, make sure it’s really broken, and if we can’t fix it, we report it to our (facility team leader).”

Morrison said the Rec Center is given a budget to cover necessary repairs and replacements but declined to provide a figure.