New dumbbells have been purchased and installed for use in the Morton Fitness Center.  

The dumbbells, complete with a custom TxWes wrap, were purchased with funding from the Division of Student Affairs. Senior finance major Jeline Rivera works as a campus rec coordinator at the front desk of Morton. 

“It’s super exciting because we did have issues with the old equipment so having new equipment means maybe a new chance for new students to come by and stay longer,” Rivera said. “Providing a better experience for them by having better quality [equipment].” 

Most of the equipment in Morton is over a decade old and hasn’t been replaced since the facility opened in November 2010. The dumbbells were no different; the replaced dumbbells were worn with damaged rubber casing for the plates and exposed metal as well as faded weight labels. Some even went as far as using gym chalk to label the dumbbells so that they knew how much weight they were lifting. Sophomore finance major Thiago Uieda, a student athlete and regular gym go-er, considers the new dumbbells an improvement. 

For me with the new dumbbells the grip is much better, and I can feel the movements a lot more,” Uieda said. “With the old ones the [plates] were kind of damaged, so these are a lot better.” 

Aaron Whaley is the director of campus recreation and coordinated the purchase.  

“For your die-hard people who do come in everyday, it’s just nice to have equipment that works,” Whaley said. “As an individual, especially if you’re an athlete, how do you come in and plan a workout if you don’t know what’s going to work in here?” 

The process began in May and was initially expected to take 8-12 weeks. However, funding and logistic issues led to the dumbbells being delivered and installed 18 weeks after the process started. 

“Having equipment that works, having stuff that looks good, from a mental side of things you just kind of come in with a different attitude and a different perspective,” Whaley said. “From a mental side of things [when] you come in with new equipment it just kind of puts a pep in your step and a better attitude and a better outlook on your workout when you have stuff that looks good and works.”