Students no longer have to choose between exercising and studying thanks to the new treadmill desks in Davis Library, which allow students to study or work on homework while walking at a steady one to two mph.
The four Walkstation desks are located on the fifth floor in the corner lounge overlooking the Pit.
The desks were paid for by a $17,000 stipend that was allocated to Davis Library by the UNC Summer School.
Jan Yopp, the dean of summer school, said the summer school program allocates a portion of its funds to aid certain University departments every year.
“The way we use these funds is primarily to help the department have enough money to buy the materials and the supplies and provide the staff that’s needed so that we can run a really good summer program for the students that are here,” Yopp said.
Judy Panitch, the director of library communications, said she was happy that they were able to work with the UNC Summer School to bring the treadmill desks to the library.
“We’re always interested in providing a variety of types of study spaces for students,” Panitch said. "This is something that we didn’t have before, and you know, it gives students one more reason to come to the library.”
Although many students have utilized the desks, some wonder if the money could have been used for something different.
First-year biology major Aaron Byun said the library should consult the students before deciding to buy more treadmill desks.
