Fearing an outbreak of H1N1, Creighton has put great effort into preventing the spread of the disease. If Creighton administrators are concerned about its students’ health, it should put as much effort into promoting their physical fitness. Until recently, however, this has been greatly neglected.

Creighton plans on building a new wellness center named after Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen near the soccer stadium. Among its features are a rock-climbing wall, a suspended running track and a cooking preparation area to promote a healthy diet. It’s about time, because until now athletic facilities for students have been pathetic.

The Kiewit Fitness Center is becoming antiquated and crowded. The treadmills and exercise machines in the weight room are relics of the 1980s, and all of the treadmills are often occupied.

Meanwhile, the five basketball courts are perpetually used for basketball, volleyball, baseball, tennis and even badminton. Using them requires students to reserve in advance and be lucky. The courts almost always are used for intramural sports.

Tennis aficionados likewise have much to complain about. Many universities without a tennis team have their own tennis courts, but Creighton, which has a Division I team, does not have a single court.

Playing on the KFC’s basketball courts is possible, but the bounce of the ball is terrible, the lines are barely visible and the courts are frequently used for other sports. To make things worse, the nearest outdoor tennis courts, in Dewey Park, are constantly used by high school and college teams, among them Creighton.

Many anticipated that the Harper Center would provide an alternative to the KFC for students concerned about physical fitness. Unfortunately, the Harper Center’s FitNest contains nothing more than a few treadmills and some workout equipment.

The only improvement of the KFC is that the equipment is more modern. There is less equipment than in the KFC and it is frequently inaccessible because of the many students using the facility.

College is for most students the first time in their lives that they live away from their parents and must make many lifestyle decisions independently. Thus, their college lifestyles will, to a large degree, influence how they will take care of themselves for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, college is a stressful time, and there is perhaps no better remedy for stress than exercise.

For society to be healthy, especially given the costs of health care that is something desirable, college campuses have the responsibility to promote regular exercise.

Because many students find treadmills and weightlifting to be boring, Creighton needs modern facilities for students to play basketball, volleyball and tennis, or to go swimming whenever they would like. Fortunately, students will be able to enjoy high-quality facilities by October 2010.