Students can look forward to a more secure workout at the Lied Recreation Center, thanks to the prospective installation of locker units on the third floor.

The Government of the Student Body passed a bill at its meeting Wednesday night to allocate $26,050 from the special projects account to pay for the purchase, shipping and installation of 115 two-tier lockers for the rec.

The lockers will be placed on the third floor to facilitate students working out in the fitness center or on the track, said Larry Cooney, director of recreational services, who was on hand at the meeting to field questions.

The lockers’ primary aim is to curb the theft which has become more common as the rec has increased in popularity.

According to Department of Public Safety reports, $5,280 in theft was reported in 1997, $5,370 in 1998, and $1,913 has been reported already this year.

Jeremy Williams, GSB finance director, qualified the statistics with his statement that people won’t necessarily report thefts unless the loss is substantial.

Lockers on the third floor provide convenience as well as security, Cooney said

“There are 112 lockers in the corners of the first floor, but they are quite small and not convenient,” he said. He added that moving these lockers to the third floor might be more trouble than it would be worth, as the lockers are built into the first-floor walls.

Use of the lockers will be free, and students may either bring their own padlocks to secure their items or check out locks from the front desk. However, locks left on for more than 24 hours will be removed, Cooney said.

“We want to make it as easy as possible to use,” he said. “We’ll have the locks and have people there to check them out.”

After much discussion, the bill passed 28-5 with overwhelming support.

“Especially in winter, when you bring a lot of stuff, you don’t want to worry about it getting stolen,” said Michel Pogge, off campus. “If we can help the student body by making their stuff secure at the rec, let’s do it.”

The lockers will be an improvement with potential to serve the entire student body, Cooney said.

“Eighty percent of the student body uses the rec services,” he said. “That’s a pretty good percentage.”

Bids with specific stipulations now will be sent to various companies to determine which will provide the lockers and installation at the best cost.