A N N U A L

University Recreation (Urec) is a comprehensive collegiate recreation department within Student Life Services that is a member institution of NIRSA and includes a variety of recreational opportunities for the UW-Stout community in adventure recreation, aquatics, fitness, intramural sports, and sport clubs. A staff of six professionals and more than 125 student employees oversee in the planning, marketing, and supervision of all Urec programs and facilities.

M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T

VA L U E S

V I S I O N S TAT E M E N T

As a place for lifelong learning and lifetime fitness, University Recreation is committed to adding value to the UW-Stout experience by promoting healthy lifestyles, enhancing opportunities for personal development, and building community through participation in diverse, fun, and safe programs.

The University Recreation staff fulfills its mission and vision through sound decision-making based on the following core values:

• Experiential education opportunities that are focused on student involvement and personal development. • Teamwork; our staff working together to achieve its goals. • Diversity and an appreciation of differences. • Honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior. • Responsible and responsive resource management.

University Recreation is built upon a foundation of programming excellence and strives to provide quality recreational opportunities for all members of the UW-Stout community.

R E P O R T

D E P A R T M E N T O V E R V I E W

2013-2014 was a year marked by growth in several areas in University Recreation. Prior to the start of the academic year, most strength equipment was replaced in the Health & Fitness Center, giving the 13-year old facility a fresh, inviting new look as it was filled with state-of-the art equipment. This, along with the introduction of a combined fitness and climbing wall membership for students, helped to increase total fitness membership by 9%.

Also as a direct result of the combined membership, Stout Adventures recorded its highest number of climbing wall members in the history of the program (426). Additionally, the Intramural Sports program saw significant increases in many areas, including overall teams, unique participants, and female participation.

The Urec team entered its second year of writing a new strategic plan. In 2012-2013, planning focused on broad themes that included the editing of mission, vision, and values statements, as well as the identification of four areas of focus. This year, strategic directions and goals were added to the plan and implementation of strategic goals will begin during the fall 2014 semester. Over the last two years, more than 175 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and colleagues at other UW System institutions had direct input into the writing of the plan.

University Recreation experienced several other highlights through the year, along with some challenges, which are outlined in the following pages. Overall, the year was a positive one that built on a foundation of student-centered programming and will help to enhance University Recreation’s reputation on campus, as well as within our state and region, as a leader in collegiate recreational services and student development.

University Recreation experienced several other highlights through the year, along with some challenges, which are outlined in the following pages.

Overall, the year was a positive one that built on a foundation of student-centered programming and will help to enhance University Recreation’s reputation on campus, as well as within our state and region, as a leader in collegiate recreational services and student development.

A N N U A L

E X E C U T I V E

R E P O R T

S U M M A R Y

S U M M A R Y G O A L S

A N N U A L

Complete work on a new strategic plan.

• The University Recreation staff met six times throughout the year to develop specific goals in each of the four areas of focus; programming excellence, staff development, resource management, and marketing/assessment. • Various focus groups and surveys were conducted throughout the year to obtain information that was used in developing goals. • The plan was finalized in May and implementation will begin immediately.

Develop student learning outcomes for various student employee groups.

• Lead student managers, student leadership retreat participants, employees attending the full staff training, and grant recipients were identified as groups to write outcomes for. • Outcomes will be written and assessment in each area will be implemented in the fall 2014 semester.

Enhance educational opportunities throughout the Health & Fitness Center for both members and student employees.

• Personal trainers hosted a “big three” clinic in the fall to provide members with an opportunity to receive feedback from trainers in a group setting; four students attended the clinic. • Various workout logs and posters were displayed throughout the HFC to provide education on TRX, kettlebells, foam rollers, and other equipment; floor attendants also had a greater presence to answer specific questions. • The desk staff and lifeguards began more thorough emergency response training, including hands-on emergency situations at monthly meetings. • A peer feedback program was implemented; all group fitness instructors attended two group fitness classes of their peers and provided feedback to those instructors through a written evaluation. A similar program was implemented for personal trainers.

Increase participation in Intramural Sports.

• 507 teams were registered, up from 333 in 2012- 2013 (52%). • 1,701 unique students participated, an increase of 242 from 2012-2013 (17%). • 507 female students participated, compared to 355 in 2012-2013 (43% Increase). • Total participations dropped from 11,604 in 2012- 2013 to 10,805 (7%). • In summary, more total students are participating but they are participating less often; minor changes to the Intramural Sports calendar in 2014-2015 will ensure that both participants and participations increase concurrently in the future.

Implement an Intramural Sports Council to make recommendations for rule changes, sport offerings, and other programmatic decisions.

• 8 students, made up of both employees and participants, convened during the spring semester and met twice; Jordan Olson, Intramural Sports Coordinator, facilitated both meetings. • The committee will continue to meet quarterly throughout the next academic year.

R E P O R T

P R O G R E S S

Implement training and development programs for Sport Clubs officers to effectively communicate policies, procedures, and administrative responsibilities, assist in officer transitions, and promote sustainability amongst all clubs.

• An officer training was implemented prior to the start of the academic year in September; this training replaced the clubs’ responsibility to attend the SSA Attend to Spend and Student Organization Leadership Retreat, and addressed various important topics such as policies, procedures, travel, and budget administration. All clubs had at least two officers in attendance. • A new officer training was implemented in February, similar to the one in September, to provide timely training to officers elected in the fall or early spring semester. • Guest speakers presented at each of the monthly SCC meetings throughout the year to provide additional hard and soft skills training on a variety of topics, such as event planning, facility usage, teambuilding, and off-season workouts.

Continue the risk management review of Stout Adventures programs.

• A draft of the climbing wall risk management plan was completed during the fall semester; progress will continue throughout 2014-2015 as a new Stout Adventures Coordinator begins. • ABBE, Inc. completed inspections of both the challenge course and climbing wall and made minor safety improvements required for both facilities to pass the inspection.

Create informational and promotional videos to enhance the customer experience in Stout Adventures.

• A climbing wall orientation video, along with challenge course and Rockfest promotional videos, were created. • The climbing skills and trips promotional videos were not created, largely due to the vacancy in the Stout Adventures Coordinator position during the spring semester.

G O A L S P R O G R E S S

A N N U A L R E P O R T

The Fitness & Climbing membership option was an amazing success in its first year. 40 students purchased both fitness and climbing memberships in 2012-2013, so that number was set as the baseline to determine success of this new membership option; 350 students purchased the membership, which helped to increase overall membership numbers in both Fitness and Stout Adventures. The membership will be expanded to include faculty and staff in 2014-2015.

Urec received a grant to implement a digital waiver solution. The department selected Smart Waiver as its vendor and implemented during the fall, allowing members to sign waivers from any computer or at one of our waiver stations and eliminating more than 6,000 sheets of paper. This has also allowed us to deliver our services more effectively through faster processing of new members.

Jeff Keenan resigned from his position as Stout Adventures Coordinator to become the Sport Clubs Coordinator at the University of Maryland after four-and-a-half years at UW-Stout. Devon Derby assumed many of the coordinator responsibilities during the spring semester and Jordan Olson assumed those responsibilities during the summer. Mike Swartz, a

recent graduate of Bowling Green State University, will join the Urec team in June 2014 as the full-time Stout Adventures Coordinator.

Based on student feedback and environmental responsibility, Urec has drastically cut down on the number of printed marketing materials. While this has resulted in less waste and money spent on printing, it continues to challenge the department to find innovative ways to communicate to students, faculty, staff, and the community. A committee of student employees from all Urec program areas will convene in the fall 2014 semester to ensure that Urec continues to effectively communicate to all current and prospective participants.

Urec has received bids to host two state-wide events in 2015. The WIRSA State Basketball Tournament will be played in the MPR and Johnson Fieldhouse in February and the WIRSA State Conference will return to UW-Stout in September 2015 for the first time since 2001. Planning has begun on both events and will continue throughout the upcoming academic year.

Safety continues to be a high priority throughout all Urec programs. Throughout the year, several small improvements were made throughout the department to address safety and risk management concerns; however, a concerted effort must be made in the coming years to standardize and more effectively communicate all safety-related policies, protocol, and staff training programs.

PROGRAM SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS AND CHALLENGES

Fitness & Aquatics:

• All selectorized equipment and dumbbells, along with other strength equipment, were replaced prior to the start of the fall semester. • Fitness memberships increased by 9%; specifically, academic and annual memberships increased by 12%, meaning that more members are purchasing longer term memberships. • A pool cover was installed to help regulate chemical balances and temperature. • Group fitness class offerings were increased again this year, including a rotating Thursday “happy hour” class to add weekly variety to the schedule; participation in classes has nearly doubled over the last two years. • The Blue Devil 5/10K experienced one of its lowest turnouts in recent years with participation dropping

UNIVERSITY RECREATION

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A N N U A L R E P O R T

below 200 runners; several incentives to increase participation, especially amongst on-campus students, will be introduced in 2014 as the race celebrates its tenth anniversary. • Pool hours increased during the afternoon swim; however, total pool visits decreased by 6%.

Intramural Sports:

• Several new sports were introduced this year, including canoe battleship, trenchball (a variation on dodgeball), disc golf, and Futsal (a variation on indoor soccer). • The annual golf tournament was moved from Family Weekend to Homecoming due to continued weather issues during the spring; 15 students participated in the singles event. • Ice hockey returned with five teams after low numbers caused the league to be canceled last year. • A men’s team and three officials represented Urec at the WIRSA basketball tournament at Marquette University in Milwaukee. • Softball season was reduced this year due to poor weather during April; future league timing and format will be assessed after two consecutive years of major weather-related issues. • The current block method of scheduling intramural sports seasons limits the number of games each team receives; an overlapping scheduling method will be introduced in 2014-2015.

Sport Clubs:

• Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu were added as clubs, and Women’s Lacrosse folded, bringing the total number of recognized clubs to 23. • Six clubs and one individual competed in national tournaments; Men’s Rugby was the runner-up in the national collegiate 7’s tournament and Men’s Volleyball finished third in their national tournament,

while Genna Boeckmann represented Waterski at collegiate nationals. • An athletic training intern position was created to provide on-site training services to all clubs hosting on-campus events; 17 events were staffed throughout the year. • All forms, except purchase requests, were converted to electronic submission. • Overall participation in Sport Clubs increased to 742 from 552 in 2012-2013 (34%) with several clubs experiencing significant increases, including Dance Ensemble and Women’s Volleyball. • Effective reporting of injuries, most significantly concussions, continues to be a major safety concern; this will be addressed with baseline concussion testing being implemented in fall 2014 along with research to determine the need to require all clubs to have safety officers.

Stout Adventures:

• Total climbing wall visits increased by 9%, including a 29% increase in the number of non-member paid climbs (486 compared to 378 in 2012-2013). • Based on post-trip surveys, 100% of students who participated in trips noted that they will participate again in the future. • Several improvements were made to the trip leader training program, resulting in a more hands-on, hard skills-based training program. • The Youth Climbing League saw a resurgence during the fall semester following decreased participation last year; expanded programs are planned for 2014-2015. • Several trips were canceled this year due to low registration; as all canceled trips were overnight trips, additional day trips should be added and all overnight trips should be evaluated for need. • The structural integrity of the climbing wall needs to continue to be reviewed and a long-term plan for the repair or replacement of the climbing wall should be established.

H I G H L I G H T S C H A L L E N G E S

A N N U A L R E P O R T

University Recreation employed 133 students in 2013-2014, 43 of whom received work study allocations. Student employees are involved in many aspects of program planning, implementation, and assessment; therefore, student development continues to be at the core of the University Recreation program.

Student development highlights for the year include:

• The student leadership retreat continued in its second year and was expanded to include 1-2 emerging leaders from each program area; 25 student employees participated in the event on Sunday, January 26th in the MSC. • Evan Stickles and Marissa Popp (both Stout Adventures employees) attended the AORE National Conference in College Park, MD. • Genna Boeckmann (Sport Clubs), Adam Fagerstrom (Sport Clubs), Valerie Mahlke (Intramural Sports), Melanie Noltner (Sport Clubs), and Lucie Patrick (Fitness) attended the NIRSA Region III Student Lead-On Conference in Ann Arbor, MI. • Haley Gammon (Intramural Sports), Megan Gruenke (Intramural Sports), Lucie Patrick (Fitness), and Marissa Thayer (Intramural Sports) attended the WIRSA State Conference in Eau Claire, WI. • Thomas Hallgren, Mitchell Murphy, and Thomas Thompson represented UW-Stout as officials at

the WIRSA state basketball tournament at Marquette University; Thomas Hallgren was honered as an “all- state” official.

Each semester, Urec awards grants to encourage student employees to participate in various developmental opportunities. Since its inception in the 2007-2008 academic year, this grant has awarded $7,250 to 42 students.

This year $1,350 was awarded to the following students:

• Johan Friisoe - $400 to obtain a Wilderness First Responder certification • Marissa Popp - $275 to attend the AORE National Conference • Evan Stickles - $275 to attend the AORE National Conference • Larissa Wilhelm - $250 to obtain a NETA Yoga Specialty certification • Tom Hallgren - $50 to obtain a WIAA Basketball Officiating certification • Lucie Patrick - $50 to attend the WIRSA State Conference • Marissa Thayer - $50 to attend the WIRSA State Conference

An outstanding student leader is recognized quarterly for exceptional performance throughout that particular eight-week period. This year’s quarterly award recipients were:

• 1st Quarter: Lucie Patrick, Fitness • 2nd Quarter: Evan Stickles, Stout Adventures • 3rd Quarter: Mason Sedlacek, Intramural Sports • 4th Quarter: Jessica Roque, Fitness

Three departmental awards were created to recognize student employees who displayed outstanding service, leadership, and dedication throughout the entire year. This year’s departmental award recipients were:

• Rookie of the Year: Taiga Lucas, Aquatics • Senior Service Award: Lucie Patrick, Fitness • Employee of the Year: Mason Sedlacek, Intramural Sports

S T U D E N T D E V E L O P M E N T

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LORI ANDADIRECTOR

• NIRSA National Conference & Exposition; Nashville, TN • WIRSA State Conference; Eau Claire, WI • Menomonie Community Advisory Committee • Chancellor’s Intercollegiate Advisory Committee • Waste Reduction Work Group Committee • Campus Exterior Development Committee • Camps & Conferences Committee • Recreation & Athletic Complex Continuity of Operations Program (COOP) • Recreation & Athletic Complex Strategic Planning Committee (chair) • Recreation & Athletic Complex Advisory Council (chair) • Physical Plant Custodial Supervisor Search Committee

LARRY MELLINGER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

• NIRSA School of Collegiate Recreation; Baltimore, MD • WIRSA State Conference; Eau Claire, WI • NIRSA Creative Excellence Awards Committee • NIRSA Sport Officials Development Program (Basketball) Committee • NIRSA Policy & Legislation Committee • New Supervisor Development Pilot Program • Clery Act Compliance Committee • Building Opportunities for Leadership Development (BOLD) Project • Week One Committee • Recreation & Athletic Complex Strategic Planning Committee

PROFESSIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Uec continues to employ a dedicated, student-development oriented, and service-driven professional team that works extremely hard to ensure the recreational needs of the UW-Stout community are being met. Throughout the year, professional staff members developed through participation in the following activities:

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MACKENZIE HUNTERFITNESS & AQUATICS COORDINATOR

• NIRSA National Conference & Exposition; Nashville, TN • NIRSA Region III Student Lead-On Conference; Ann Arbor, MI • WIRSA State Conference; Eau Claire, WI • American Red Cross Lifeguard Management Course • Completed three home studies to maintain NSCS- CSCS certification • Campus Wellness Committee (co-chair) • Student Retention Committee • Pick One Marketing Committee • Stout Adventures Coordinator Search Committee (chair)

JORDAN OLSON INTRAMURAL SPORTS COORDINATOR

• NIRSA National Conference & Exposition; Nashville, TN • WIRSA State Conference (presenter); Eau Claire, WI • WIRSA State Flag Football Workshop (clinician); Madison, WI • WIRSA State Basketball Tournament (clinician); Milwaukee, WI • Completed American Red Cross CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor certification • Building Opportunities for Leadership Development (BOLD) Project • Stout Adventures Coordinator Search Committee • Executive Order 54 training

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JEFF KEENAN STOUT ADVENTURES COORDINATOR

• AORE National Conference; College Park, MD • AORE Student Development Committee • Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee • Alternative Transportation Workgroup • Non-Academic Misconduct Hearing Committee

TONY TRUDEAUINTRAMURAL SPORTS INTERN

• NIRSA National Conference & Exposition; Nashville, TN • NIRSA Region III Student Lead-On Conference; Ann Arbor, MI • Wisconsin School Counseling Association (WSCA) Conference; Madison, WI • WIRSA State Basketball Tournament (all-tournament committee); Milwaukee, WI • Executive Order 54 training

DEVON DERBYSTOUT ADVENTURES INTERN

• AORE National Conference; College Park, MD • Completed Wilderness First Responder certification • Wisconsin Indoor Climbing Series (WICS) Planning Committee • Executive Order 54 training

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