Q&A: Campus Recreation and Wellness
The Campus Recreation and Wellness department are one of the ten featured on The Signal’s 10 Most Fascinating People of UHCL of 2018 list. Read The Signal’s Q&A with Campus Rec director Brian Mills below and see the complete list here.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about Campus Recreation and Wellness and what it is your department does?
A: Our department is here for the holistic wellbeing of the UHCL community which includes students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the greater UHCL community. Our department is one of the newest on campus and our new Recreation and Wellness Center opened Aug. 25 of this year, so we are only a few months into this experience. Our ultimate role on campus is to create a culture of healthy and happy Hawks. While most people may not associate happiness with the Rec Center, we do believe that through physical activity, participation in our programming, socializing in our facility, making healthier decisions, and building strength both physically and mentally, you are going to be happier overall. We want to be that department that can make connections with every student on campus regardless of their passion (or lack thereof) for fitness or physical activity.
Q: How have the services and events hosted by Campus Rec expanded since the opening of the new Recreation and Wellness Center?
A: So far, we have seen an amazing number of students. We surpassed our entire 2017-2018 utilization of the old Fitness Room by Oct. 15, so just under two months of operation. We hosted the Welcome Back Bash as part of the university’s Weeks of Welcome and had almost 1,000 participants come through in a four hour span. Our intramural sports program got off to a slow start but steadily is building momentum and we are excited about our spring 2019 schedule of events. We started our Sport Clubs program and have six student organizations participating (Volleyball, Soccer, Cricket, Spirit Squad, Fusion Dance, Hawks Rugby Football) with the hopes of adding three or four more in the next six months. Group Fitness was a huge success between our Group Cycle, Zumba, Yogalates, and Body Sculpt classes.
We have brought in our new Coordinator for Fitness and Wellness, Mr. Bryce Starr, and he has some amazing plans for expanding those offerings and creating courses for students interested in becoming group fitness instructors. Our facility has been a location for numerous university events like Open House and orientation as well as providing additional meeting spaces for departments and student organizations. I would say we have lived up to most of our expectations and will continue to raise the bar for student engagement, student development, community service, and UHCL service.
Q: What are some achievements or challenges Campus Rec and Wellness have had this year, and how have they impacted the department?
A: Our achievements have been too many to count, but I can say the biggest achievement was getting the building opened and operating as quickly and successfully as we could. That success happened because of our amazing student staff and the countless hours they spent working to get equipment moved in and set-up, learning everything that we require for the building like policies, procedures, emergency action plans, certifications, and more; and that they did all of that with smiles on their faces.
I would say our other significant achievement has been the creation and follow-through of our departmental mission, vision, and values. Our team spent weeks working on creating the guiding principles of our department and we took great pride in putting those out into the community. Seeing our team of professional and graduate assistants use those guiding principles and connect them to our staff training and development is something that has made the most significant impact. We live our mission, we strive for our vision, and we want to show our values every second of every day.
Q: What are some goals Campus Rec has for 2019?
A: Increase programming and participation in group fitness and intramural sports. More classes, more sports, more events. More education about physical and mental fitness along with the other six domains of wellness that our department values. We want to be a collaborative partner with the other departments, programs, and professionals on campus and capitalize on their knowledge and expertise. We also want to focus on wellness and provide some wellness fairs, educational events, and potential wellness coaching or assistance. We want to continue to be a host for major events at UHCL like Open House and Welcome Back Bash but want to get more students organizations using the space for some of their events or meetings.
Q: Is there anything you would like our readers to know?
A: We are here for you, whether you are a seasoned veteran of a rec center or you are just getting started. Regardless of your starting point or your personal goals, we are here to help you and support you along the way. I personally started my health and wellness journey when I was 32 years old and it took two back surgeries for me to make some significant changes in my life, so I know where some of our students, faculty, and staff are coming from. The facility can be intimidating and you can feel extremely isolated and alone even though you are surrounded by so many people.
Don’t be scared, be brave. Don’t focus on the past, plan for the future. Don’t overdo it, remember it is a process and it takes time. Going to the rec center is absolutely something that people can skip for any number of reasons. I want everyone to know that the impact physical activity has had on my personal and professional life cannot be undersold. Your mind and body are not two separate entities working independently. If you are struggling in one area, it will drag you down in others. Physical activity changes the way your body and mind function. It not only makes you healthier, but it impacts the way your brain works. It makes learning and retaining information stronger, it alleviates stress and anxiety along with a number of other ailments, it makes you more optimistic, it makes you more willing to open up, it makes you want to be a better friend/partner/spouse/whatever.
We have a saying in the department (and maybe it is just me saying it most of the time), but stuff is hard…do it anyway. If any of our staff can help, please do not hesitate to contact any of us or the departmental phone or email.
Also published on Medium.
