Has it ever crossed your mind that you could essentially spend your entire life in RBD?

Complete with places to study in silence, a Panera Bread, chargers for your devices, classrooms, a student store with all the essentials, places to socialize, books to read, and more, you really never have a reason to leave (aside from, you know, your sanity). Wallis Stanfield, a graduate student and Development Student Assistant for Auburn University Libraries, came to this realization last year and thought, What are we missing? The answer: a place to exercise. 

If you spent your summer on The Plains, you may have noticed a new addition to RBD. The Learning Commons on the second floor is now home to four exercise desks – two treadmill desks and two stationary bike desks. While these exercise desks are not a replacement for your high-intensity sweat sessions (they max out at about two miles per hour), they’re a great way to get moving while you work. 

 If you were wondering whether Auburn is the first university to adopt this concept, it’s not. In fact, Wallis cited Troy University as inspiration, among others. Because of the increasing awareness of students’ mental and physical health, many universities are implementing creative solutions to make sure students are happy and thriving at school. During our conversation, Wallis emphasized the importance of viewing the student holistically. She feels that if we take care of our students and their needs in all areas, we might even have better luck with recruitment and retention. 

As for the future? Wallis hopes to expand upon this project. If there is a good response from the student body, we can expect to see more additions like this one in semesters to come.

Have you used the new exercise desks? Let us know what you think, and tag us on social media @AuburnCampusRec.

 Be well, Auburn.

Photography: Deon N.

Sources: Wallis Stanfield, Development Student Assistant at Auburn University Libraries; Jayson Hill, Director of Communications and Marketing at Auburn University Libraries