Disclaimer: Nina Zimmerman is a former Executive Audio Editor at The Tufts Daily. She was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.
Sophomore and Tufts Community Union Senator Michael Glueck, along with other senators, has successfully pushed for periodic free weight deep cleans and the posting of additional hygiene signage in the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center after many students raised concerns about the cleanliness of the equipment.
“The odor [from the weights] was pretty terrible — you could smell it from a mile away,” Glueck said. “I go to the gym actively, and I was hearing a lot from fellow students … that people were like, ‘Dang, these weights stink.’”
Nina Zimmerman, a senior, echoed this sentiment.
“In the past, [the free weights] had a strong odor,” Zimmerman said. “I have noticed every time I use them, my hands smell afterwards.”
Zimmerman also observed how the culture around gym hygiene at Tufts changed after the pandemic.
“[During the pandemic,] everyone was wiping them down, ... but now I don’t think anyone wipes anything down in the gym,” Zimmerman said.
Sophomore Nathan Liao shared similar sentiments on cleanliness at Tisch.
“After people use the free weights, they don’t tend to wipe them down. I feel like that’s just the culture,” Liao said.
First-year Maile Hirschmann also noticed how students cleaned the gym machines but not the free weights. However, she disagreed with other students on the pungency of the free weights.
“The free weights were like any other gym I had been to. They seemed like they had been properly cleaned, and they have individual cleaning supplies,” Hirschmann said.
After talking to some of his peers and friends about the status of the free weights, Glueck presented the issue to the TCU Senate.
With the help of fellow senators, he spent a few weeks drafting a proposal for a deep clean of the free weights and developing signage promoting hygiene to send to the fitness center staff. Part of this process included researching and taking photos of the gym equipment where he found “festering bacteria and dead skin” on the free weights’ bars.
“It was really gross, and it was a really smelly process of taking pictures, but it was really just about trying to persuade [the fitness center staff] by pointing out health concerns and dangers,” Glueck said.“I did a little bit of research on bacteria and how dead skin can be very dangerous, and just made them more aware of that.”
Glueck sent an email detailing the issue and the proposed changes to Bailey Finocchio, the assistant director of athletics for facilities & recreation, on Nov. 5. Finocchio noted that she was not aware of the condition of the free weights beforehand.
Finocchio subsequently shared Glueck’s feedback with her colleague Paul Stone, the assistant strength & conditioning coach who also helps oversee the Fitness Center and the student staff.
“We became aware [of the issue] when Michael contacted us on November 5th. We were disappointed to hear of the conditions of some of the equipment but are pleased with the quick response and hard work Paul Stone and the Fitness Center Staff have done,” Finocchio wrote in an email to the Daily.
Stone and his team promptly conducted a deep clean of the free weights two days later on Nov. 7.
Glueck appreciated the fitness center staff, who were “down for everything.” He described them as the “heroes” of this initiative.
“Initially, we had just asked for a singular cleaning and for more signage to promote a safer gym environment … but they actually refined their whole system,” Glueck said.
Stone worked with his team and the student staff in the fitness center to not only deep clean the equipment, but also establish periodic deep cleans throughout each semester and upgrade the daily cleaning system.
The old cleaning process involved weekly spot-cleaning by student workers particularly in areas of the gym that Finocchio said “needed more attention than others.”
While the athletics staff still use this spot-cleaning method, they have also added a cleaning schedule in which staff on every shift are expected to clean specific areas of the Fitness Center. According to Finocchio, they also have “measures in place that provide accountability of the completion of each task.”
“This method ensures that every machine, rack, cardio equipment, and bench is cleaned by a staff member on a weekly basis,” Finocchio wrote. “This, our overnight facilities cleaning service, and the additional signage that encourages members to do their part, will all provide an improved experience for every member that uses the facility.”
Following the TCU’s proposal, the fitness center staff posted 13 additional signs in the gym to remind students to clean their equipment after use.
“The intent with these signs is to help remind our members to clean up after themselves and take personal responsibility in helping create a clean gym environment for everyone,” Finocchio wrote.
Since the signs are still relatively new, whether or not they have been effective is yet to be determined.
“We have not received any feedback regarding the updated state of the fitness center, other than TCU Senate’s words of encouragement and appreciation after our first initial deep clean,” Finocchio wrote.
However, some students are hopeful that the signs will make a difference.
“I read the signs in the gym, but I’m not sure that it’ll necessarily incentivize people to actually clean,” Zimmerman said. “But at least having it there might be a good step in promoting a culture where people clean up after themselves in the gym.”
