Blogs

Looking to the Future: Your 2014-2015 NIRSA Assembly

By Jason Darby posted 11-10-2014
Greetings everyone! The NIRSA Assembly is off to a strong and productive start for the 2014-2015 term. With several returning members, as well as an assortment of fresh, new faces to the group, the Assembly has begun diving into numerous topics that we feel are of importance to the future of collegiate recreation. The term started off with several initial conference calls to orient the new members to their role as an Assembly member, and to brainstorm the topics we wanted to address over the next several months. With no shortage of ideas, we were able to narrow down what we felt were the most pressing topics that could be a benefit to the NIRSA membership. ...

What are we doing here?

By Julie Terstriep posted 06-02-2014
I've always said raising children was an excellent testing ground for leadership development. Attention span of children is short and very frequently my children would turn around with that Scooby Doo type look and say, "What are we doing again?" That's a good question. In campus recreation, there are times I think we all need to ask ourselves this question. What are we doing again? What's our purpose. Recently I came along a video from Leadercast with Andy Stanley and he incorporated these three questions when developing a mission statement. They are excellent and I keep a self-made poster of them next to the my desk to reflect everyday. "What ...

Summer allows evaluation and goal setting

By Julie Terstriep posted 05-14-2014
Alice Cooper once sang, "Schools out for summer, schools out forever". Alice didn't have it right. School is now out for the summer, but the transition means I begin assessing what went right during the last school year and what could we have improved upon. Goal setting is important to keep me motivated whether it is personal or professional. A former boss asked us each summer to put together a list of things we wanted to accomplish over these three months - both personal and professional and I've found it a very helpful activity. Time slips away too quickly. Fellow staff members have vacations scheduled, weddings to attend, new grandchildren being born. ...

Your Assembly at the NIRSA Annual Conference

By Stephanne Musser posted 05-02-2014
Hello NIRSA Colleagues - Many of your 2013-2014 Assembly Members were present at this years NIRSA Annual Conference. What a wonderful week of learning and networking. Assembly members had the opportunity to spend time together at our "Assembly Table" next to conference registration, our team meeting as well as our Assembly Town Hall. We spent a great deal of time continuing to educate the NIRSA on what the Assembly is and what exactly we have been working on. We solicited ideas for our "buckets of thoughts" from the members and provided updates on our work this year. NIRSA members and colleagues provided great ideas surrounding areas of impact for ...

Call Notes - 4/8/14

By Jessica Gentry posted 04-16-2014
Assembly Meeting Notes Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Welcome & Roll Call ( Online Assembly Roster ) Attendance: Darcy Bingham, Jeff Vessely, Troy Snow, Earl Cabellon, JT Timmons, Jessica Gentry, Kristen Brosious, Nicole Garton, Mike Valentine, Raquel McKim, Elizabeth Walz, Ryan Bradshaw, Jason Foster, Chad Day, Linda Clauss, Kim Rottet, Aaron Tripp NIRSA HQ Staff: Christine Haluzak, Kristal Fehring Trends in Collegiate Recreation Project Update – funded by Precor (Kristal Fehring) Employee Wellness (trend investigated this year) – An external ...

Intramural Sports and Sport Clubs GA Position at Southern Miss

By Mike Valentine posted 03-20-2014
Southern Miss is currently seeking qualified applicants for the Intramural Sports and Sport Clubs Graduate Assistant position. Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree and experience working for a Collegiate Recreation Department. CPR, AED and First Aid certifications along with experience in sports officiating and programming is preferred. Please visit Bluefishjobs.com for additional information. Interested applicants should email their cover letter and resume to mark.crager@usm.edu or mail to 118 College Drive #5155, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001.

Fitness Degrees and College Personal Training, Health, and Nutrition Certificate Programs

By Ken Baldwin posted 03-12-2014

Connection - the difference between campus rec & the private sector

By Sara Kooperman posted 02-09-2014
Dear Ira - I find your inquiry very interesting. You want to know: 1.) From your experiences, what do you think the main differences are between the way private sector gyms and the way campus recreation departments connect their members (existing or new) to their fitness programs, services and facilities? 2.) From your experiences, what do you think the main differences are between private sector gym fitness and wellness programming and campus recreation department's fitness and wellness programming? 3.) What are some things you believe we as campus recreation professionals could take from the private sector gym membership connectivity and fitness/wellness ...

Assembly Update!

By Stephanne Musser posted 02-05-2014
NIRSA Colleagues - The Assembly continues its energy and focus around this year’s topics, which include: Core Competencies, Academic Alliances/Core Curriculum, Creative Funding/Outsourcing/Budget Neutral Recreation and Inclusive Programming. The work teams have been hard at work researching, discussing and even preparing recommendations for the BOD around these topics. If you are interested or feel you have valuable information regarding these specific areas, we always encourage and support dialogue amongst the members. The Assembly will also have a session again at the Annual Conference in Nashville. If you have any ideas brewing inside, we will ...

How to Get Started: Hiring a Personal Trainer

By Jay DelVecchio posted 01-16-2014
In a recent conversation with my sister, I learned that she was one of the many whose New Year’s Resolution involved losing weight and going to the gym. To help her keep this resolution, she decided to hire a personal trainer. She made her selection based on two criteria: 1) she saw this person in the gym regularly and 2) he looked like he was in good shape. When I asked her about his training and certification, she had no idea. Her response to me was, “ How am I supposed to know? I assume the gym wouldn’t allow him to train there if he wasn’t qualified!” I think my sisters assumptions and response are all too common. How does the average consumer ...

Wake Forest University Opportunity - Associate Director, Campus Recreation, Programs, and Facilities

By J.Max Floyd posted 01-08-2014
Wake Forest University is recruiting for a new Associate Director, Campus Recreation, Programs, and Facilities in our Campus Recreation Department. Please visit BlueFishjobs.com to find out more and apply!

Are You Tweeting, Posting, Following and Friending?

By Jay DelVecchio posted 12-09-2013
My involvement in social media has snuck up on me! Sure, I used Facebook to reconnect with old friends and become more connected and involved in the lives of my friends and family. But in the past year, I’ve found myself using social media for business purposes. I’m blogging, tweeting, following, friending, tagging, and all sorts of other things that I never expected to be doing! In the beginning, it felt overwhelming, but I’ve learned a few things that have made it more manageable that I thought I’d share. I’m hoping that you will share your tips too! 1. Be strategic about what you share and where . It is tempting to want to send everything ...

October - November Assembly Update!

By Stephanne Musser posted 11-08-2013
Hello NIRSA Your NIRSA Assembly has been hard at work. Currently, the work teams within the Assembly are focusing on the following topics: Academic Alliances/Core Curriculum, Inclusion (specifically veteran programming and ADA), Creative Funding/ Outsourcing/Budget Neutral Recreation and the Core Competencies. The teams have found some valuable information and hope to make more strides in the upcoming months. As we continue to be the “think tank” for our organization we hope to develop strong recommendations and guidelines centered on these topics for departments to utilize. We are getting there, but there is much work to be done! Your Assembly ...

Everyone mentors; few change lives, Honor your Mentor TODAY!

By Juliette Moore posted 10-29-2013
The deadline for nominations for the 2014 Honor Award is November 1, 2013 (FRIDAY!) Nominate the person who changed your life and helped you to soar - your mentor. Please send your nomination along with 3 recommendation letters and their resume to the Chair of the Honor Award Committee. ( me-jumoore13@gmail.com ). Here are a few tips to help you in drafting your nomination letter and/or support letter: 1. Remember to show how this individual was involved in volunteer leadership. Give concrete examples i.e. served as an active member of three national committees, and served as chair of two. 2. Solid well described examples are critical to all of ...

Manny Voska's (Region IV Student Leader) Mentor Program Experience

By Mallory Valentine posted 09-24-2013
NIRSA!! Below is a personal blog from Manny Voska, the Region IV Student Leader, about his experience with the Mentor Program. Check it out! And don't forget to apply for the Mentor Program :) A few years ago I joined the NIRSA Mentor Program to get more involved with NIRSA and meet some individuals who had already established themselves in the area of Recreation, collegiate specifically. My past couple of years has been a journey in the world of recreation. From leaving my undergraduate to go to a University 1,800 miles away in the form of a Graduate Assistant, to coming into the role of a NIRSA Regional Leader in my second year of my Intramural Sports ...

Sauna Benches

By Bruce Gehrig posted 08-13-2013
See the original Discussion Post

NIRSA ASSEMBLY 2013-2014 - First Call

By Stephanne Musser posted 08-09-2013
Hello NIRSA Family! The 2013-2014 NIRSA Assembly had our first call last week. The main focus for the call was to list and talk through potential topics for discussion and begin selecting interested parties for our work teams this year. Some of top choices are: continue of conversations and work on inclusion in campus recreation (with a focus more on inclusion within programming), funding issues and campus partnerships. While the list is just getting started we hope to narrow our final ideas down and have our work team’s get started on some early discussions. This years Assembly members plan to have a strong presence at all state and/or regional conferences ...

Fitness Center Check-In System

By Jared Wolf posted 07-17-2013
At my college we are looking at upgrading to a new check-in system in our fitness center. We have about 50-75 students come through a day, and we are looking for a system that is reliable. Any suggestions?? Thanks! Jared

Reservations (policies, procedures, rates and forms)

By Asha Mata posted 06-25-2013
Hello: I am interested in gathering some information on what other Campus Recreation departments are doing as far as the reservations process: What software is being used (pros & cons of what you are using)? What is the process patrons must go through from the initial request to the day of the event (forms, methods of record keeping by the person taking the reservations, communication confirmation/denial/cancellation of the event, etc? What are your rental rates for campus departments, off campus groups, and student groups? Any information would be greatly appreciated!!

Proper planning prevents poor performance

By Douglas Franklin posted 06-08-2013
I recently responded to a Habitat note seeking advice about developing a Strategic Plan. I was excited to see that institutions and departments still see the value of this essential tool. I was a bit worried as I recently had a discussion with a faculty colleague who suggested that because Strategic Plans took too much time, did not allow for sufficient faculty input and too often sat on the shelves without being implemented, the plans were more harmful than helpful. Balderdash I cried at this blasphemy. If you've been one of my students over the years you've heard me use the phrase "proper planning prevents (expletive) poor performance or P6" many ...