Students who wish the Markin Family Student Recreation Center offered a certain class may be eligible to teach it themselves.
“I think a lot of students go to the group fitness classes because they really like the instructor,” Mike Keup, the executive director of Campus Recreation and Athletic Facilities said. “They might really enjoy the workout that instructor leads, or maybe they just really like the instructor’s personality.”
Although more classes are being offered this semester than last semester, there are still fewer classes than last spring.
Keup said the unbalance of classes was due to not only losing student instructors, two graduated and one is studying abroad, but also because of the class schedules of the other instructors.
The permanent schedule for all group fitness classes is created at the end of the semester for the next semester, he said.
“We create the schedule once we have the instructors’ availabilities,” he said. “We understand how a student’s schedule works. There is a process for finding substitutes if need be, and we try to be flexible when creating the schedule.”
Keup said the main reason why there are fewer morning classes this semester is because of the instructors schedule’s.
“The fitness class scheduled is 100 percent related to the availability of the instructors,” he said. “It just turned out that this [semester] is a bad one.”
When it comes to hiring new instructors for group fitness classes Keup said he looks to the students on campus.
“We have a lot of outside instructors who would love to teach classes here, but I sustain from jumping to hire them,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to take an opportunity away from a student.”
To become a fitness instructor at Bradley, certification or experience is required. The majority of the current fitness instructors are certified, Keup said.
“There are several groups you can be certified through,” he said. “A few are the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and the National Dance Exercise Instructor’s Training Association.”
Keup encourages students who are interested in instructing to participate in many classes that are currently offered.
“Critique the instructor, the music and how the class is led,” he said. “Watch how the class transitions from warming up to the actual workout to cool down. Also pay attention to the communication between the instructor and students.”
Although the Markin Center is not in desperate need for new instructors, Keup said he is willing to accept applications and meet with students who are interested.
“I encourage those who are interested to come and see us and to get certified,” he said. “If I am approached by a student who is qualified to begin teaching classes now, I have no problem adding new classes mid-semester. If we have the ability to accommodate students with more classes I am not going to say no.”
