Ethos gym is to be expanded in the new year, following months of collaboration between the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) [DPCS], Sport Imperial and the College.

This change comes following complaints of the gym being too small and overcrowded in feedback taken over the last two years. Plans to expand Ethos have been in the works for the past year, however funding for the proposal has now been secured.

The expansion will see a new functional room created within Ethos, to cater for approximately 30 extra people, boosting the gym’s capacity up to 110 people. The initial aim for the project completion is the end of the current academic year, with more information on the designs and type of space to be released in the near future.

Expanding the gym was the first of the DPCS, James Medler’s, manifesto points and this announcement can be seen as something of a success story. In a recent blog post, James states, “think of it as an early Christmas present”.

Imperial students are being encouraged to complete the Student Experience survey “so projects like the Ethos Gym expansion can happen”. In a statement, James wrote:

“This project has come about because of the Student Experience survey. Over 2 years, it became overwhelmingly obvious that there was a desire and a need for the gym’s size and availability to be improved. These results were presented in a paper to college which has resulted in the funding being given.”

The Student Experience survey, which is sent to all non-final year students once a year, provides students with the opportunity to make their voices heard by telling the Union about their experiences of Imperial so that their time here can be improved. Last year, the survey received over 2000 responses but James is urging more students to complete the survey:

“This survey is one of your major opportunities to actually create positive change at Imperial and make a real difference. The more of you filling it out, the bigger the impact the Student Voice has in creating real change.”

The 10-15 minute survey covers a range of areas and respondants to are automatically entered into a £500 prize draw