Healthy dining options and required physical education classes make Pennsylvania's Dickinson College the fittest college in the nation, but AU did not make the rankings, according to a survey by Men's Fitness magazine.
In the survey, Men's Fitness ranked schools according to a number of criteria, including weekly hours of exercise by students, alcohol consumption, hours of sleep per night and availability of fast food.
Trailing behind Dickinson in the survey were Colgate University in New York at number two and Boston College, coming in third. The only D.C. school to place on the list was Georgetown University, which landed 18th on the list of 25 schools.
Kate Douglas, a freshman in the School of International Service, said the long wait for a machine in the campus fitness center deters her from working out as much and becoming as physically fit as she would like.
"It's kind of discouraging when you walk in because you usually have to wait a long time just to get on a treadmill," Douglas said. "I think our fitness center is nice, but I don't think it's nearly as big or has as many options as it could. It could definitely be improved."
Jocelyn Hill, associate director of Recreational Sports and Fitness at AU, said those who run Jacobs Fitness Center always try to stay up-to-date with the best equipment and classes.
"It depends on what the student is looking for," Hill said. "We offer various cardio equipment for cardio fitness as well as strength equipment, group exercise classes and mind-body classes. I think we have enough options to make AU students as fit as possible if the students are willing to take advantage of them."
Douglas Ernst, a first-year graduate student and staff member at Jacobs Fitness Center, said compared to the fitness centers at other universities he has seen, AU's "is pretty nice."
"We have the cardio and strength training equipment plus the mind-body classes, personal training and group exercise classes," Ernst said. "Everything ... we need to be a fit college campus [is here] if the students are willing to use it."
Dan Hart, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said AU students are sedentary, which would explain why AU didn't make the fittest colleges list. TDR offers some healthy food but could provide more fresh vegetable dishes that aren't saut?ed in butter or oil, as well as lower-fat, non-vegetarian options, he said.
