By Scott Flickinger and Riley Feiner
Hello everyone! August is here and in higher education that means the beginning of a new academic year is just around the corner. Summer tends to move a lot faster each year, but ready or not, back to school is coming.
August signifies the start of staff training, new programs, revised policies, and a new group of students just waiting to launch their college years. As you put the finishing touches on your programs and opportunities, we certainly hope you get a few starts for yourself: a start to breathing easier, relaxing more, and to enjoying the energy a new year brings to campus.
Pros: How can I begin to start?
Hi pros! For many areas and offices, each year is a rinse-and-repeat cycle of training and programming. It’s old hat; you’ve done it before, and it has worked brilliantly. For others though, it’s about complete restyling or adding a new concept—or even area—altogether. As higher education professionals, we get inspiration and structure from many sources and tailor our programs or services to satisfy institution-specific requisites that connect to our underlying mission and goals.
But what if you don’t know where to start? What if I have no idea, knowledge, or proper connections on how to move beyond square one? Well, NIRSA offers a series of virtual courses that can help: Recreation 101.
These virtual courses can assist you with starting, developing, or maintaining key programs in any campus recreation portfolio. NIRSA’s Recreation 101 Virtual Courses have been created to help professionals find that beginning point and explore foundational concepts for the viewers’ consideration. They cover keystone topics such as intramural sports, sport clubs, esports, officiating, and the newest one: student development.
Each course has been created for campus recreation environment and is delivered by phenomenal professionals who bring expertise and insight to the course experience. The subject matter is structured, thorough, and presenters give viewers options on how to execute program ideas while allowing for customization to fit the needs of your area. It is also asynchronous, so viewers can go at their own pace and review earlier sections as needed. Even if you have knowledge in that area, the 101 Series has the potential to offer updated information and options you never knew existed. It is also a fantastic training module for professionals who have career experience but who are new to the field of campus recreation. Just the chance to listen to other experienced professionals can instill confidence in new employees and give them the tools needed for a smoother and more successful start to a program or area.
There are several 101 Series modules that have launched, with several more to come later this year. Take the time to visit NIRSA Learning and see what modules can help your department!
Students: Here we go again!
Hello students! August is here and it’s time to get ready for the school year ahead. Although our class schedules will be different from school to school, a few things remain the same for all students. We still want to:
- Get good grades.
- Have fun on campus.
- Live a healthy life.
- Find a fulfilling job.
Working in campus recreation can help with at least three of those four.
As you may already know, being involved in campus recreation, whether that be at the participant level or employment level, can be loads of fun. It’s no secret that participating in intramural sports, club sports, or other campus programs within a university’s rec center can build unique relationships with fellow students who are there for the same reasons: to find a brief, healthy escape from school responsibilities and to find connection with others through sport. Working for the school’s rec center can also provide similar benefits, as you build a unique community with other student employees working alongside you.
So, it’s clear that through campus rec involvement, we have the goal of having fun and living a healthy life covered. What about the goal we have after we graduate? How can campus recreation help us find a job? Yes, of course, we can continue working for a rec center and go through the motions, but with another school year on the horizon, how can we optimize this opportunity?
How can we take what we already know and have experienced, and turn it into something new to learn from? The answer is through involvement. From attending a this fall to officiating at the NIRSA National Basketball Championship Series next April, there are a multitude of opportunities for involvement within collegiate rec.
Volunteering or attending a learning event can be great and all, but let’s talk about what YOU get from it. In short, a lot.
Aside from building a deeper connection with those from your institution who attend the event with you, there are plenty of good things that come along with NIRSA involvement that can aid in any career you may end up pursuing. Here are what I would think are some of the perks of being involved in collegiate recreation and NIRSA events:
- Networking with dedicated professionals in the field
- Building social skills
- Discovering employment opportunities (jobs, internships, graduate assistantships)
- Learning skills and developing career goals
- Finding generous professionals who are willing to give you feedback on application materials (e.g., resume or cover letter)
- Expanding your knowledge of campus rec and higher education
- Pursuing your personal development
- Finding a source of inspiration and motivation
- Discovering industry trends
- Gaining exposure to fresh perspectives
In future Notes from the Member Network, I will go into detail about how upcoming NIRSA events can provide these benefits and how you can optimize your experience while attending.
Okay, Riley—you’re telling me that being involved in events within collegiate recreation and NIRSA are great opportunities, but you’re not telling me about any of them. Yes, you’re right. To tell you about all of NIRSA’s incredible events would make for far too long of a post. Instead, I invite you to check out the NIRSA calendar. Click through the weeks for this upcoming fall and see if something catches your eye. If you find something and want to get involved, reach out to the professional staff on your campus or even email me! Another way to stay in the loop for upcoming events is to follow your regional social media accounts and the @NIRSAstudents handle on Instagram.
An upcoming event to start out with is attending the Student Leadership Team’s (SLT) Ideas in Motion session on August 5, starting at 12:00pm Easter/9:00am Pacific. This roundtable discussion with the SLT will explore how to support student involvement in NIRSA and campus recreation. This will be a great opportunity to hear from current students about their experiences in campus rec and how they feel student staff can best be supported by professional staff supervisors and student staff supervisors. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask the SLT questions and to hear their tips on working in campus rec.
Challenge Yourself
Alright, now that you know how being involved in campus recreation events can aid us in our careers, take advantage of it! Your professional staff want nothing more for you to succeed in everything you do and taking advantage of these development opportunities is an amazing way to do it. Be brave and push yourself outside of your comfort zone this school year. Try not to fall back into just going through the motions. Challenge yourself and watch how much you grow as a result.
