New kiosks to speed up Campus Rec sign-ups

The half-hour before any group fitness class starts at the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) once was its own workout.

Students would wait in long lines in the CRC lobby to collect a ticket stub that would allow them to enter the class, only to reach the front of the line and find out the class, which opened only 30 minutes in advance, was already full, said Kim Mallard, associate director of CRC.

By the end of this week, students can forgo the lines in favor of a new electronic method of signing up for classes.

After 6 a.m., two kiosks in the CRC lobby will allow students to electronically sign up for any class that day. The kiosks will remain available to sign in until the classes are filled.

Mallard, one of the employees who designed the system, said the kiosk technology allows for smoother procedures within the center.

“Anybody, anytime, can come by the building, sign up for their class and come back 10 hours later (to attend the class),” she said.

Davina Devries, a staff assistant at the CRC who is overseeing the design and development of the website the kiosks will use to operate, said the system was developed completely “in house.”

The CRC has started marketing the new kiosk program and plans to have it up and running this week to work out any glitches before the spring semester.