Campus Recreation Progams---The ARC

Kelly Gilloffo, gilloff1@illinois.edu

Intro: There are many campus recreation programs at the University of Illinois. One of the biggest and most known is the Activities and Recreation Center, better known as the ARC. There are a lot of students and faculty that go to the ARC everyday. It is well known around campus and provides a place for members and students to go to release stress through sports and working out. They also offer a variety of other programs.

Background: The ARC is a place for students and members to go and work out or play sports with friends and other students. It is the countries largest on-campus recreation center that is not shared with other athletics, except for the swim team. It is 340,000 square feet and has an outdoor pool, indoor pool, in-door track, 4 total gyms with raquetball courts, basketball courts, 7 volleyball courts, a climbing wall, a varitey of cardio equipment and free weights. They also offer a sauna, locker rooms, conference rooms, kitchen, theraputic services like massages, televisions and ipod connectors on most of the cardio machines, and a snack bar. They exist because of the University. The students had a large part in what went into the ARC, because students are the ones that use the ARC the most. They told Campus Rec what they wanted in a workout facility and Campus Rec listened. It is located on campus at 201 E. Peabody Drive. It was built in 1971 but remodeled in 2005 because the University wanted a larger place for students, faculty, and members to go and work out, go to the pool, or play sports.

Employment: Campus Rec is the 3rd largest hiring system at the University of Illinois, and the ARC employs a lot of those people. The ARC has over 600 positions available. For example, work studies, internships, lifeguarding, facility management, group fitness instructors, and so much more. They offer internships in HR, Marketing, and Communications. These internships help provide students with experiences in their field of choice and can give them skills that they can carry over to future careers. You can apply online for these positions and internships. After you apply online, you may be called for an interview and then if you get the job, you can work your way up to higher positions or just take the experience to another job.

Current Trends: There are a variety of group workout classes to join at the ARC that are available for students. This season a lot of students enjoy going to the outdoor pool to swim or just lay out or study. Students really enjoy the long hours that the ARC is open because students are able to go workout or play sports any time before midnight.

Definition of leisure: The ARC defines leisure as a life-long learning experience that will help you stay healthy while still having fun. The main benefit of the facility is it gives students and members a place to go to relieve stress and stay healthy through exercise or playing sports. The ARC also provides memories for students because they can go and build their skill in a sport or play with friends. It also puts students on the right track for a long and healthy life.

Student Driven: The ARC is mainly student driven. They influenced the remodel of the ARC and helped make it a place that everyone would want to work out. There is something for everyone. There is so much that the ARC has to offer to students and to promote leisure. Many students define leisure as something that they have fun with, such as playing sports and the ARC is a place that they can do this.

Synopsis: There are many pros to working in this field, such as you get to provide a place for students to go and work out and you get to promote healthy living. You can also give other students the experience of working in the field by giving them internships and showing them the skills you need to be in this field. Some cons to working in this field would be there are a lot of different places you could work in campus recreation so you might not end up exactly where you would want to be. The ARC fits into the leisure delivery system because it provides students a place to go and experience leisure. It allows students to play sports or work out and relieve their stress or go lay out at the pool. It can provide a break for students to relax during the busy school year.