In the midst of this spike in the pandemic, the UCSD administration has elected to shut down the RIMAC gym to students. The only imaginable reason that they would do this is to preserve UCSD's public image. Exercise has been many student's method of maintaining their mental health, and for fully-vaccinated often boosted college students, maintaining a healthy body and mind is of much greater concern than a more infectious but less deadly version of a virus that we've been living with for almost two years now. In fact, the shutdown of RIMAC may lead to even more cases, as many students (including the author of this petition) are looking to off campus gyms that are still open, exiting the UCSD bubble. Not everyone is vaccinated at these gyms and not everyone is masked at these gyms. RIMAC is an opportunity to work out in a gym where you know that everyone around you is doing what they can to keep each other safe. The public gyms that this shutdown has relegated us to does not provide this opportunity. Another important factor is that RIMAC won't even be fully populated at the moment, as tons of students aren't on campus and many of those students will remain at home for the duration of campus, further lessening the risk. During Fall Quarter, many students went to RIMAC not only to exercise but to make new friends, see new (masked) faces, and learn new names, a process that really doesn't happen to the same extent at the outdoor fitness areas. The outdoor fitness areas are not a replacement for a brick and mortar, fully equipped, mirror-clad gym, as anyone who has worked out in both will tell you. The importance of this for those who chose to rely on it cannot be overstated. The closure of RIMAC doesn't protect students, removes a way for students to maintain proper physical and mental health, and removes an important sense of community for many students. The only actual reason that it is closed is to show that UCSD is "cautious and careful" to the public eye, not because it is actually for the student's benefit.