One key element to the Campus Rec Leadership Summit is its roundtables. During the event, attendees and sponsors have four to five in-depth discussions around topics prevalent in the industry.
The goal behind this format is to get everyone participating and involved in finding solutions. The hope is they bring them back to their rec centers and organizations. Groups of six to eight converse over set questions for 30 to 45 minutes. Then they report out for the group to hear their thoughts.
But even more key is bringing back what was learned and implementing it. As such, previous Campus Rec Leadership Summit attendees share below how the roundtables have impacted their campus rec departments and facilities, as well as their own views:
Tricia Bush | Associate A.D. of Campus Recreation at Northern Michigan University
“Some things I brought back to discuss with my friends across campus and in my department are:
- Prescription workouts from counseling.
- Developing some type of referral bonus for student staff if they help recruit new employees who stay for at least one full semester.
- Recess at the Rec. We currently have an event titled Late Night at the PEIF which we were looking to redesign.
- And also something to stop doing that causes many headaches on our campus is give up the fight on required attire.
“After speaking with my peers, I found out many have already tossed out the restrictions regarding clothing in the gym over the last year or two.”
Drew Cantwell | Assistant director of Facility Operations at Louisiana State University
“As a facilities professional, I sometimes get wrapped up in the idea our programs and success are tied to the physical building we work in and program activities we do every day. Through these discussions at many of my roundtables, that is not exclusively the case, and we should be doing more. Nothing is stopping us from going to where the people are and showcasing our programs in their offices. Not only is this great engagement opportunities with faculty and staff, but it reduces the barriers of current students that may not be able to come to the recreation center.”
Nick Froelich | Director of Campus Recreation at Cleveland State University
“I took a picture of a slide from Wendy Motch-Ellis’ presentation that read, ‘Is providing people what they need to be successful another way of helping people thrive? This is what we mean by equity.’ I would agree that equity is an extremely complex topic. But this simplistic statement makes it a whole lot easier to implement on a daily basis when presented an opportunity to act on equity.”
Jay Iorizzo | Director of Campus Recreation at Texas Christian University
“From attending the 2022 Campus Rec Leadership Summit, our department has taken the time to examine our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The panel discussion at the Summit was insightful and motivating to be more aware and proactive back on our campus.”
Kim Scott | Director of Campus Recreation at Baylor University
“Fact: Scarcity of student workers is universal. Idea: Referral Bonus. If a current student employee refers someone and they are hired, the current student worker gets a signing bonus of $100 to $200. If the new employee stays for six months, the current student worker gets another bonus for referring a quality person.”
David Siegle | Senior assistant director of Recreational Sports at the University of Michigan
“One concept I learned from our EDI discussion was the difference in being a co-conspirator versus an ally. Also, to maintain the courage to have conversations or being bold in making statements in an effort to gain understanding. Sometimes, it won’t be well said and mistakes might be made. However, those situations actually advance the awareness and improve any barriers to inclusion that might exist.”
Monica Verity | Director of Recreation at Wellesley College
“Over the past year even though we are back, it’s ‘post pandemic’ and we should be operational, we have been forced to close our buildings during campus breaks, limit our programming, cut hours of operations, hire less employees, etc. It is gut wrenching to cut back when we have built up so much, but hearing Gary from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County say that for the first time in his 30-plus year career they closed over fall break — and for more time over winter break and spring break — helped me feel encouraged I did the right thing. There were many, many of these moments over discussions that are so valuable for executive level professionals to discuss, debate and have dialogue.”
These are just a handful of the takeaways attendees bring back from attending the Summit. If you’re interested in experiencing these discussions yourself, join us for the 2023 Campus Rec Leadership Summit June 20-22 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Learn more by visiting peakemediaevents.com/crsummit for a full event itinerary. And email heather@peakemedia.com to reserve your spot before they’re gone.
