“Research has shown that getting outside for 30 minutes can improve the mental health of people,” said Director of Campus Recreation Kari Albarado. “My personal belief is that unplugging and being outdoors is a great way to center oneself and recharge.”
According to ETSU’s website, the mission of Campus Recreation is “to promote healthy and active lifestyles by providing high quality recreational facilities, programs and services for the entire campus community.”
Albarado said, “Our mission is what drives our decision making process and ties into each of our program area goals.”
Replacement of old equipment has commenced at the CPA. Work on new signage to reflect ETSU’s new logo will complete this spring. This comes after new paint was applied during winter break.
Campus Rec. costs students $43 a semester, according to Bursar Jane Waddell. The money is allocated from Program Service Fees that students pay. There is no opt-in or opt-out option; all must pay. It is based on registered hours. Students with less than eight credit hours pay less.
“One offering we provide that is unique and not offered at many Campus Recreation centers is our Casual Care service for drop-in childcare,” Albarado said. “This service is currently provided to all members with no additional cost.”
Included with access to Campus Rec. is access to the Baslar CPA and programs in fitness training, intramural sports, sport clubs, aquatics and Outdoor Adventure. Students are given two free personal training sessions during their tenure at ETSU. This is all determinate on if one chooses to use the facilities and programs.
Albarado said, “This is a great way to be introduced to our equipment for the beginner or to receive coaching for those who are looking to change up their workout.”
There are equipment rentals available. For a small fee students can rent sleeping bags, tents or even kayaks to get into the outdoors. A full list of equipment rentals is available at Campus Recreation’s website.
“Outdoor Adventure is a great program we offer that is mission essential to our department,” said Albarado. “With our location in the Appalachian Mountains, we have many natural resources to explore and to introduce students to. From rock climbing, to hiking, to enjoying water based activities…we are located in the ideal location for outdoor programming.”
Right now there is no way of tracking what percentage of the ETSU community patronizes the CPA or Outdoor Adventure. Currently, the swipe system only tracks generic patronage. One student would be track on program participation basis rather than an individual user basis.
Albarado said, “The CPA operates on a budget around $1.2 million a year, depending on enrollment.”
Less than 50 percent of that comes from students. The majority of the CPA’s operating budget is from revenue sales. Enrollment to programs by alumni and spouses, as well as external entities using the facilities being assessed a fee.
“We will have the ability to run more demographic based reports…once our recreational management system is updated in May,” Albarado said.
Faculty and staff pay for access to Campus Rec. as part of their HR Benefits package. They pay more than students but have the same access. The CPA depends on this revenue to keep the lights on. Solar panels to help with sustainability were added recently.
Promoting a healthy and active lifestyle by providing high quality facilities, programs and services to the entire campus community is the mission statement of Campus Recreation. Students are required to pay a fee each semester without a complete way to assess how many use the facilities.
How are they doing?
“Achieving our mission is what we assess through our annual assessments and unit goals that we complete as a department,” said Albarado. “The use of the CPA through informal recreation and for formal use through scheduled activities and events sponsored by our department achieves our mission of promoting healthy and active lifestyles to our campus community.”
