With the new semester underway and temperatures still leaving people needing multiple layers, UMKC students shared their indoor activities that keep them on campus.
There are several places students can stop by to spend their time indoors, many within walking distance of each other.
The Miller Nichols Library is the largest library on campus, and is open from 7:30 am to 12 am during the week. It is a study hot-spot composed of several different floor “volume levels” so students can both work and mingle. The library is also home to the Robot Cafe, where students can grab food and chat.
“I come to the library quite a bit to study, or I just hang around the bio buildings,” said Ana Tosta, a pre-med junior majoring in biology.
UMKC is a largely commuter campus, so many students like Tosta don’t spend much time doing other activities besides studying on campus. She also stated that she would like to get into more activities on campus.
Nora Gharabi, a senior chemistry major on the pre-med track mentioned that she was also part of the Pre-Dental Society.
The Pre-Dental Society is an organization for pre-dental students to connect with fellow major students and find opportunities within their career field. More information about the organization can be found on RooGroups, which is a helpful tool where students can find clubs and activities tailored to their interests, majors, athletics and career paths.
Molly Malone is a freshman biology major who is considering participating in the women’s weightlifting group Girl Gains and wanting to use the campus recreation center’s weight room to exercise with her friends.
“My friends and I wanted to go somewhere in the area, so there’s some suggestions for anyone that wants to be active,” said Malone.
Alexa Estrada, a junior psychology major, is also part of Girls Gains, and enjoys coming to Swinney every weekday to lift weights and do cardio workouts.
“Girls Gains provides a lot of activities that you can do around here. Right now, they meet around once a month,” said Estrada. “I’m not too involved, but if they have something that interests me, like the pilates event they recently did, I went there.”
Estrada believes that Swinney is being underutilized by students, stating that “If you’re a student here, I think you should come, just because you are paying for it. If you’re paying for something, you should come and take advantage of it.”
A senior physics major who also regularly attends Swinney for exercise, David Keltner, particularly enjoys the sauna.
“The sauna is super hot, so it’s good compared to some other ones, and the gym isn’t usually super busy so I can usually do whatever I want to do,” said Keltner.
The Swinney Rec Center offers a variety of amenities to students including strength and cardio workout equipment, four multipurpose courts, a 200 meter indoor track, fitness studios, steam and sauna room and many other features. Many fitness clubs and sports organizations meet there, and the center offers fitness classes.
All students need to enter Swinney is their ID badge. The center is open most days from 6 am to 10 pm.
