Hey, Campus Rec Bloggers!

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of a campus recreational center?

Well here, let me just fill you in on the basic foundation of our campus rec center.

At Tarleton Rec, our first priority is to ensure the safety of fellow patrons. We have professional staff meetings biweekly, and we discuss all of the ideas everyone has to improve the rec center. We have recently started to implement a scenario scene for our front desk and intramural staff called “red bandana”. We format an emergency situation, and the staff has to react to it. These scenarios  help refresh their CPR and First Aid skills. By doing this, we are sharpening our staff to ensure they know the correct way to help and serve our students in a safe and timely manner. We offer CPR & First Aid training to all of our staff; it’s a requirement. We want to make sure that all of our staff is highly trained in this department. We also go above and beyond when it comes to our first aid supplies. Each department in our rec center has their very own kit full of supplies ranging from band-aids to gauze, and this kit is NOT small. We check our kit monthly to make sure we never run low on supplies, and we always want to be prepared.

Our second priority behind the scenes is to set goals for our staff and for our rec center. Here at the Tarleton Rec Center, our mission is “To provide opportunities to engage in activities, programs and special events that promote healthy and active lifestyles, leadership development, social interaction and educational opportunities. These opportunities exist through programs, services, and facilities that reflect the diverse needs of  the Tarleton State University family.” We take this mission very seriously and do all that we can to provide for the students and student workers here. We want our staff and student workers to excel in everything they do at work, but especially in school.

A few goals that we as a campus recreational center have set are:

• Higher student participation
• Optimal cleanliness of weight room safety
• Emergency preparedness
• Enhancing social media platforms
• Creating an environment focused around inclusivity

Setting goals and taking measures to reach them are vital in any workplace, especially in a university workplace. Our patrons are our number one concern, and we want anyone who comes into our facility to fall in love with the atmosphere and wants to come back EVERY DAY. As said very well by Human Kinetics, “Campus recreation’s primary goal is to serve students; thus, a great deal of the activities and programming revolves around student interests. Students, faculty, and staff participate in campus recreation activates to have fun, maintain healthy lifestyles, and socialize.”1

We also have meetings with our staff about what could be improved via their eyes. We always strive to improve in the gray areas and are always taking constructive ideas. We want to make sure our staff loves working for us, and try to accommodate them in any way possible. As a professional, I want to open up my communication with my staff to make sure they are comfortable with telling me about any issues they have with our facility or with our program. Constructive criticism in all areas is greatly encouraged, because like I said before, we want to ensure that our students and faculty are happy! All in all, everyone who works at a recreational center should just think about what we can do as a whole to make our facility better. In the words of Emily Harbourne, “We’re here to serve everyone and help them pursue active, healthy lifestyles no matter their age, gender, race, ethnicity, interest or ability — what could be better?”2

1Dimensions of Leisure for Life, (2010). Human Kinetics. Retrieved from http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/discover-opportunities--components-of-campus-recreation

2Why Did You Get Involved In The Industry?, (2017). Emily Harbourne from Campus Rec Magazine. Retrieved from http://campusrecmag.com/get-involved-industry/