‘Just trying to be flexible right now’: Overcrowding strains Nelson

BY ELIZABETH HIRSCHFELD STAFF WRITER

Students have recently noticed an uptick in the number of people exercising in the Nelson Fitness Center, leading to overcrowding, difficulty accessing equipment and lines when the gym reaches its max capacity. In response, the University has launched an online occupancy tracker students can use to see the Nelson’s current occupancy.

Over winter break, the Nelson underwent upgrades to include a turf area, five squat racks and new deadlift platforms, The Herald previously reported. Amy Dean, Brown Recreation fitness and wellness manager, cited these changes as the reason for recent overcrowding in an email to The Herald.

To address crowding, Brown Recre- ation, which manages the University’s fitness centers and the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, has “created an occupancy tracker available online for all to check before coming to workout at the Nelson Fitness Center,” according to Dean.

Dean noted that there are more students using the facilities now than there were during the same time last year. “In fact, we have seen a 14% increase in participation by our student population,” she wrote.

According to Chas Steinbrugge ’24, the Nelson has been more congested in recent weeks than in previous semesters, sometimes even hitting its 194-person capacity. “Some of the leg press machines are definitely pretty crowded,” he said. “Getting access to dumbbells (and) bench presses can sometimes be a little bit tough.”

“We are aware that on occasion there have been lines at the Nelson,” Dean wrote, adding that the lines have occurred during the Nelson’s busiest time of day — between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. — and that there have not been any lines since Friday, Jan. 27.

“The tracker is definitely helpful, but I wish that we had more gym capacity so that it wasn’t necessary,” Steinbrugge wrote in a message to The Herald. Steinbrugge has campaigned on social media for expanded fitness options on campus.

Brown Recreation is “exploring existing spaces within the Nelson Fitness Center to create additional opportunities for training,” Dean added.

Adam Lalani ’26 said that he appreciates the additional bench pressing racks and squat racks that were added to the Nelson over winter break, but still feels that there is a need for more equipment. “I don’t know why they have so many elliptical machines,” while the availability of frequently-used equipment is limited, Lalani said.

“Definitely some people want to check out the upgrades,” said Emma Pearlman ’25, adding that, in her opinion, crowding is also likely due to the start of the new semester. “School hasn’t fully ramped up to its fullest yet.”

She added that she finds herself sharing equipment with other students more often this semester than she had previously. “I’m just trying to be flexible right now,” she said.

Steinbrugge suggested that equipment such as free weights could be added to other fitness facilities on campus, such the Graduate Center gym, to ease capacity pressures at the Nelson.

Lalani added that he would find it helpful to have a gym in the southern part of campus. “This is an issue that’s here to stay.”

After the petition was filed, the University was given a Jan. 25 deadline to submit a statement outlining its stance on TALO’s proposals for the workplace election — such as the bargaining unit definition and election date. TALO would then have to respond with its own position statement, after which both parties were expected to attend a hearing Feb. 2 to begin the process of reconciling any differences between their respective statements.

But the University never filed its statement of position and instead TALO and University lawyers negotiated an election agreement, Rusch said. The agreement, signed Feb. 1, lays out all workplace election details and allows the parties to forgo the NLRB hearing and reconciliation process.

Since the University did not “object to the proposed bargaining unit or holding (of) an election, the NLRB

BREAK-IN FROM PAGE 1 pect “was apprehended and in custody immediately,” Chatman wrote.

Zhang said there was a general lack of communication from DPS throughout the break-in investigation and expressed continued anxieties about feeling unsafe in her dorm.

While DPS “came and helped,” Zhang said that no one called her after the incident, leaving her with limited insight into the case. Zhang added that she found most of her information on the proceedings through social media platforms like Sidechat.

“All we knew about (the investigation) was rumors,” Henderson said. “In the future, this process needs to be revised (and) people need to be informed. More communication is needed.”

Chatman said that “nobody was asked to withhold verified updates about the circumstances,” but Wayland residents were advised “to avoid fueling unfounded speculation and rumor” about the situation.

“Each call Brown DPS receives requires its own unique response based representative handling the election petition (worked) with the parties to agree to the terms of when and where the election will be held,” wrote University Spokesperson Brian Clark in an email to The Herald.

“Both the union and the University were represented by counsel in these discussions with the NLRB’s Boston office, and the election is now scheduled.”

“We are eager to get to work on negotiating a contract to implement the necessary changes to make Brown’s CS UTA program the standard-bearer for undergraduate computer science education,” Rusch wrote in a message to The Herald. “Unions are ultimately about building democracy in the workplace, and we look forward to seeing democracy in action at the ballot box on March 2.”

The University believes “all students who would be impacted by the formation of a union and a collective bargaining agreement should have upon a wide variety of factors,” Chatman wrote. He added that DPS provides a quick response, supports students, conducts investigations and offers many resources to protect the “safety of all campus community members and visitors.”

New security measures

DPS has continued to work with campus departments to implement new safety measures, including readjusting where it deploys security staff on campus to more strategically respond to issues and implementing routine residence hall check-ins, according to a Dec. 15 email to the University community.

“DPS officers are spending more time around the residence halls … particularly at night,” Chatman wrote. “Community members may have noticed by now the extra stationary patrols by our residence halls.”

DPS is also continuing “to engage in discussion about the potential for whether additional measures might strengthen safety on campus even an opportunity to directly exercise their vote in favor of or in opposition to unionization,” Clark wrote.

If eligible CS TAs “ultimately vote to form a union, we will respect that choice and enter into negotiations toward a collective bargaining unit,” he added. “Whether they vote in favor of a union or not, the University is committed to working in good faith to address their concerns.”

For now, TALO will focus on engaging with current TAs to ensure that “everyone’s experiences are heard” and that all TAs have the chance to join TALO, said Ronnie Shashoua ’25, a TALO organizer, in an interview with The Herald before the signing of the stipulated election agreement.

TALO organizers want to “take the chance to talk to everyone that is a TA to really understand their perspective and what they would want out of this body that would be representing them,” said Eva Lau

’23, another TALO organizer, in an interview before the agreement was signed.

The University believes that students “should be well-informed about what unionization entails — including the anticipated amount of student dues that will be deducted from their hourly pay, how dues will be expended and how decisions will be made about those dues and other union matters,” Clark wrote. “We have urged union organizers to provide information to eligible voters before an election is held, and the University will communicate accurately and factually with eligible voters as well.”

On Instagram, TALO has launched a TA Spotlight series in which TALO organizers and union members are invited to share their reasons for supporting the formation of a union, according to Julia McCauley ’23, a TALO organizer.

“Unionizing is a tangible way we can improve the CS TA program and leave it better than we found it,” McCauley shared in her TA Spotlight post. “The current operation of the program is unsustainable and we need formal and accountable representation to protect TAs and student learning.”

McCauley said that TALO will also continue to host events like the rally it held last December and general body meetings for all TAs to attend. TALO has also created a form for CS alumni and affiliates — people in some way connected to the department, such as retired professors — to sign on and express support.

McCauley said that several alumni who were former CS TAs have reached out to TALO and shared that they experienced the same issues TALO is currently working to resolve. These alumni are “excited by the changes that we are trying to make and just really want to express their support,” she added.

LILLY NGUYEN / HERALD further,” he added ResLife staff are “here to help,”

Students said that there was a lack of communication from DPS throughout the break-in investigation. “In the future, this process needs to be revised,” Wayland resident Lena Henderson ’25 said.

Amanda Surgens, director of residential operations and strategic planning, wrote in an email to The Herald. She urged students to seek out members of her staff who can be easily identified by “departmental-branded clothing as well as a name badge.”

Chatman encouraged students to engage in “three main behaviors … that can make an immediate impact on safety,” including avoiding propping open doors and immediately re- porting unsafe conditions to ResLife staff or Public Safety.

“Call us first before engaging others,” he wrote.

According to Chatman, the Wayland case “is still working its way through the criminal justice system.”