University of Michigan-Flint
Flint, MI
MISSION
To enrich the University of Michigan-Flint (UM-Flint) community by engaging students, faculty, staff, members and guests in quality recreational, fitness and sports programs, services and facilities.
VISION
The department of Recreational Services strives to be an essential part of student success and Flint community well-being by providing a variety of health promotion opportunities.
CORE VALUES
- Community and Belonging
- Equity and Inclusion
- Engagement and Leadership
- Health and Wellness
- Co-curricular and Integrative Learning
DESCRIPTION OF FACILITY
- Three basketball courts; gymnasium also houses volleyball courts, badminton and soccer
- Cybex Prestige weight machines and free weight equipment area
- Cardio room
- Suspended indoor 1/10-mile track
- Four racquetball courts
- Three group fitness studios
- One cross training room
- Men and women’s locker rooms with rental locker service available
- 25-yard, four-lane pool with adjacent shallow area and whirlpool spa
- Men and women’s pool locker rooms with dry saunas
- Inclusive locker room
PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS
Intramural Sports: Offers several leagues and a variety of tournaments during fall and winter semesters.
Club Sports: Offers nine sports that are designated and sponsored student organizations – baseball, men and women’s basketball, cheer, men’s hockey, men and women’s soccer, softball and women’s volleyball. There are also several sport-based voluntary student organizations.
Fitness Programs: Offers a variety of free fitness opportunities including exercise equipment orientations and fitness classes including yoga, water exercise, dance-exercise, circuit training and cross training.
Health and Wellness Programs: Offers a variety of free services, including nutrition consultations, health insurance enrollment assistance, educational workshops and activities on tobacco and substance abuse, sexual health, injury prevention, mental health, communicable diseases, and chronic diseases.
FUN FACTS
- UM-Flint is located in the heart of downtown Flint. With funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the 80,000-square-foot Recreation Center opened in 1982.
- Established as an auxiliary department, the rec center is open to the public through memberships and day pass sales.
- An outdoor ice rink on campus was reopened in January 2016 after being closed for more than 25 years and the rec center oversees its operation during the winter months.
- A variety of for-credit Physical Education courses under the Department of Public Health & Health Sciences, are hosted at the rec center and are taught by rec staff as adjunct lecturers. Several of the PE courses fulfill the health and well-being general education attribute requirement.
- An endowment was created by a dedicated rec center member that provides approximately 60 one-week scholarships for youth in the Flint community to attend the rec center’s youth basketball camps.
- As one of the largest employers of UM-Flint students on campus, a “Preparation for Success” program that incorporates the NACE Career Competencies was created as a professional development opportunity for rec and other Student Affairs temporary employees.
- Alumus Erin Darke, known for her roles as Cindy in the TV series “Good Girls Revolt,” Mary in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and Leeta in the AMC series “Dietland,” was once a lifeguard for the rec center. She would rehearse her Shakespearean lines from the deck while continuously scanning the pool. Erin, along with partner Daniel Radcliffe, works out in the rec center when visiting her hometown.
