The gym can be an intimidating place. Lucky for the students of Rowan, student workers at Campus Recreation are doing everything they can to make staying active an enjoyable experience for everyone!
Campus Recreation, better known to students as the Rec Center, offers a safe and welcoming facility for students to maintain happy and healthy active lifestyles.
Built on the foundations of inclusivity and skill development, the Rec Center is the perfect place for anyone to work on being their best self. Don’t believe us? Let’s ask the students who spend more time there than anyone else on campus: The student workers!
Stevie Payne, a Building Manager and senior Health and Wellness Promotion major, and Katie Baker, the Lead Building Manager and senior History major, have both been with the Rec Center since the beginning of their Rowan journeys.
“At first,” Stevie shares, “the Rec Center was a job, but after being here since freshman year I’ve slowly realized it was more than that. It’s a community.”
“Yeah,” Katie agrees, “I understand why people were telling me to work here because it’s just such a good environment. There’s so many good people who come in.”
Many other student workers share the same sentiments. To them, the Rec Center isn’t just a place to workout or even just where they work. It’s a place that feels like a second home and the professional staff work hard to maintain that feeling for their workers.
Chris Mapitigama, a sophomore Biochemistry major who doubles in helping the facility and working as lifeguard, expresses similar feelings about the professional staff stating, “They’re super chill. If you ever need to talk about anything work related or even personally, they’re always there to listen.”
For Chris, his transition into life at Rowan wasn’t an easy adjustment. Starting his college career off at the height of the pandemic, Chris was not only looking for an on campus job but for people to call friends.
“I was lonely when I first got here,” he tells us, “I was holed up in Holly Pointe alone most of the time as most of my classmates had switched to online learning due to the pandemic. When I started working here, I began to build relationships and make friends very quickly. I almost instantly formed connections with my coworkers and I know everyone that works here!”
Chris’s experience isn’t uncommon at the Rec Center. Many student workers share about how something in the air just seems to make friendships form quicker. Jessica Rodriguez, a sophomore Public Relations major who works at the Center front desk, describes the environment as welcoming, stating, “The first time I came here, I felt like I had already known everyone for months.”
Jessica has been a huge part of spreading positivity to all students who come to the Rec. As the first face you see when you walk in, greeting people, helping with their memberships, answering phone calls, and other things of that nature. “If people have questions, they come to me.”
It’s difficult for many college students to stay active while dealing with the pressures of higher education. It’s important to have student workers like Katie, Jessica, Stevie and Chris who work to create and maintain an environment that helps to inspire students to get involved while not feeling pressured or judged.
Are you a Rowan student who wants to be a part of Campus Rec? Congratulations! By being a Rowan student, you already are. So come down to Campus Rec. We can’t wait to see you there!
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Story by:
Bianca Gray, recent English graduate
Photos By:
Nick Flagg, senior theatre and advertising major
