ARC - employee service and recreation

The Activities and Recreation Center is a public recreation center located at 201 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign. After renovation of the previous facility, the new construction added on 120,000 square feet and an upper level. This facility goes above and beyond with offering much more than just a workout facility. Many functions are held here ranging from birthday parties to business fairs. There is a very broad range of employment options and this truly is the reason the ARC has expanded its horizon.

What used to be known as the Intramural – Physical Education Building was shut down in 2005. After more than two years of construction, the Activities and Recreation Center was born. This is now one of the largest on-campus recreation centers in the nation being about 340,000 square feet big. There are aquatic facilities like an indoor and outdoor pool. In addition, the gym provides recreational facilities like gymnasiums with various numbers of basketball and volleyball court facilities. Lastly, there are strength and conditioning areas, racquetball and squash courts, jogging track, specialty areas, multi-purpose rooms and locker rooms to name a few more.

There is an abundant array of employment opportunities ranging from higher up positions like instructors to just managing the beauty and cleanliness of the facility. Some employment opportunities are can be found in the Adventure Recreation, Aquatics, Event Management, Facility Management, Group Fitness, Ice Arena, Intramural Activities, and Personal Trainers areas. If working for the branches of Adventure Recreation, Event Management, and Facility Management, there is a lot of supervising and staffing done to ensure smooth business to continue. If someone has experience and training, he/she may be interested in working in the Aquatics, Group Fitness, Intramural Activities and Personal Trainers branches. However, it is important to note that the employers at the ARC stress that advancement in positions can be achieved in any position in any branch. Raises and promotions are very attainable, and employees are encouraged to reach their full potential.

In terms of the employee service and recreation offered, there are various benefits that employees of the University receive. After speaking with a facility assistant, he explained that if a professor who works at the University is interested in the ARC’s facility, they have the option for a membership or to sponsor themselves as guests. The only benefit they receive for membership is getting charged $29 a month, but having it automatically being a payroll deduction from their University paycheck for a minimum of 6 months. As for sponsoring themselves as guests, they can just walk in and pay the $10 fee instead of having someone sign them in. As far as recreational programs go, they just receive the same benefits as any member of the facility.

For student employees of the ARC, there are more recreational options because they receive a free intramural team opportunity, free group fitness pass, five free guest passes, free swim lessons and two free skating session passes. The student employees are offered many more recreational opportunities because they are presented with all these free opportunities to participate in various activities that the ARC facilitates.

The agency’s definition of leisure is having the free time to come to the ARC and be presented with a variety of activities and opportunities. They give you the option of doing anything from taking education classes and workout classes, to business career fairs, to ultimate mind and body disconnection from the real world. Even though there are so many places and areas of recreation, every section makes you feel like that is the most important activity because everyone’s area of interest is catered to. This way, every single person feels his or her time is spent not wasted and fully enjoyed. Using part of the definition of leisure of this facility, the fact that so many areas of interest are offered is the main benefit of this agency. Somehow the ARC has the ability to be so flexible and stay true to its title as the Activities and Recreation Center.

Synopsis: My experience while working on this assignment and researching the information has been very enjoyable. It would be rewarding, interesting, and fun to be able to work at a recreation center just like the ARC. The pros of a career in this kind of agency consist of doing something that you love and enjoy, and providing others with the opportunity to also love and enjoy all the programs as offered. The job would be rewarding because you would be helping people achieve their healthy potential by helping provide stress free unobligated time for them. I can’t think of any cons because cons don’t exist when you are interacting with people daily and ultimately helping them reach good health, have fun, and disconnect from the stresses of the world. This agency is basically the epitome of the leisure delivery system. It offers an incredible amount of opportunity of leisurely activities catering to all people. The ARC is providing relaxation, activities, organized events, and a social place welcoming everyone to come and enjoy their time how they see fit.

Pictures are from the Campus Recreation website

kaydano1