Student Perspective . . .

What do the Special Olympics, tobogganing, peer advising, state conferences, and revitalization of a downtown area all have in common? These events are just a few examples of how members of student park and recreation organizations within colleges and universities can provide services to the community and at the same time become actively involved socially and educationally with other students on campus.

Innovative programming has a definite place in these organizations. The impetus that propels the recreation club to plan events, activities, and projects is the imagination and creativity that each member puts forth in an effort to provide positive directions for the club. The range of events that a student park and recreation organization can provide for the students, faculty, and the community may include a wide variety of activities suggested by its members and then put into action through careful planning by the students.

There are many activities that student members plan for their club that provide ongoing social interaction and involvement between club members. The purpose of these organized events are to provide a positive stimulus for the members to attend scheduled meetings and to provide an opportunity for the members to acquire new acquaintances or to enhance other relationships. These activities may include:

• canoeing, tobogganing, or other short outings
• co-recreation intramurals (volleyball, softball, broomball hockey)
• square dancing
• hayrack rides
• picnics
• roller/ice skating parties
• formal evenings out
• weekend trips
• T-shirt days

Fundraising events such as candy and bake sales, plant sales, chili suppers, Valentine's Day carnation sales, club T-shirts, and student/faculty tournaments are also beneficial to student park and recreation organizations because they assist the club in raising money and, at the same time, provide some service to other students, faculty, or community members.

Student park and recreation organizations can also provide services that benefit the students enrolled in the park and recreation curriculum of the college or university. Organized clubs are looked upon as sources of information and normally do have more access to vital information because of their efforts as a group with a common cause. They can provide other students with information about how they can become involved in professional parks and recreation associations and they are able to disseminate information pertaining to upcoming conferences regarding cost, transportation, and lodging possibilities.

Flynn Vance is a recent graduate from the University of Illinois who received her undergraduate degree from the Department of Leisure Studies. She received the Charles K. Brightbill Outstanding Undergraduate Award in Spring, 1979. She has recently accepted a full-time staff position with the Topeka, Kansas, Recreation Department. Her personal recreational interests include swimming, jogging, and sewing.

Some universities offer peer advising during class registration for students who are unsure of what courses to take, and want to talk to other students who have had first hand experience with specific classes and instructors. Members of the student park and recreation organization within the universities can serve as excellent advisors to other students who need assistance.

Publishing a monthly "leisure newsletter," arranging for prominent guest speakers in the field of parks and recreation, advertising the student club by setting up a booth on "club day," or staging a campus-wide special event are all examples of how the whole student body can benefit from the organized student park and recreation club.

Community service projects are ideal for student park and recreation organizations and can be initiated by club members or the professionals in the community who may seek the club's assistance. The students may offer help to the local park district, municipal parks and recreation department, the YMCA or YWCA, the Chamber of Commerce, or the county nursing home located within the community. These types of projects are a perfect way for students to have short-term involvement and allows them to choose among a wide range of possible projects to consider.

The S.O.L.A.R. club (Students Organized for Leisure and Recreation) at the University of Illinois volunteered their time during the Fall, 1979, to assist the Champaign Park District. The members spent a Saturday morning clearing bricks from a creek. These bricks will be used to reconstruct a bridge that once ran across the Boneyard Creek in Champaign and is being

Illinois Parks and Recreation 22 March/April, 1980

applied for as a National Historic Site. The Park and Recreation Club of Parkland Junior College in Champaign also got involved with the Champaign Park District. In the Spring of 1978, the club members buried a variety of bottles to be dug up in the year 2,000. This project was initiated in order to demonstrate preservation and change through the lapse of time.

There are a variety of projects or events in which a student park and recreation organization is able to assist professional organizations in the community. Volunteers are always needed for such events as the Special Olympics, the Toys for Tots program, visits to local nursing homes or hospitals, assistance with local philanthropic fund raising drives, and seasonal happenings such as Halloween, Christmas, and Easter parties.

Students can be asked for creative programming ideas for planned revitalization of a downtown area or they can assist the local parks and recreation agency with supervising after school programs. Once again, these projects can be suggested by the club members or the professional practitioner may be the one to ask for assistance.

In summary, student park and recreation organizations not only offer activities to their members, but through a variety of projects can also offer a positive service to other students and citizens in the community. Agencies in the community can benefit strongly from services offered by the student organization and in turn the students can find a worthwhile endeavor that benefits their club as a whole.

POSITION OPENING

Manager, midwest recreation property with lake. Over 3,000 acres with facilities. Experience required. Salary commensurate with ability. Send resume to Mr. J. Lance, A.C.L.P.O.A., Box 9-247, Apple River, IL 61001.

Illlnois Parks and Recreation 23 March/April, 1980