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The Daily Cardinal Est. 1892
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Division of Recreational Sports to switch name to University Recreation and Wellness

Rec Sports Director John Horn said the name change will happen once the Nick opens.

Rec Sports struggles to balance budget with array of opportunities

UW-Madison’s Division of Recreational Sports works to support students’ mental, academic and social well-being through a vast array of opportunities and facilities.

Rec Sports, which presented their budget to the Student Services Finance Committee Monday evening, accounts for about $57 of the segregated fees paid by students, which is significantly below that of UW-Madison’s peer institutions.

However, Rec Sports has struggled to provide up-to-date recreational facilities. These facilities are a common focal point on campus tours, but according to Rec Sports Director John Horn, UW-Madison minimizes the buildings when recruiting new students.

“We hear it every day that we do tours that they just came from Minnesota, or Iowa, or Purdue, or Ohio State, and they say ‘this is all I have to use here,’ so then they have a decision to make. Do I want to come because of the outstanding reputation of the academics or ... do I want to go somewhere else that has maybe a little bit better amenities in terms of rec sports or student life opportunities,” Horn said.

Students who participate in Rec Sports are more likely to graduate in four years, obtain employment after graduation and receive a higher grade point average according to a national study cited by Horn.

Rec Sports offers students opportunities to join 49 intramural teams. UW-Madison is far surpassing its peer institutions with 3,2017 students participating in recreational opportunities around 13 percent more than the average large school.

The group supports student mental health by providing one-on-one fitness classes for students who may be uncomfortable in large fitness classes, and mind-body classes that teach meditation. Additionally, Rec Sports works with University Health Services to recognize when a student may be struggling with an eating-disorder or other mental health crisis.

“We work hand in hand with UHS so that if we can recognize these issues ... whether it’s an eating disorder, somebody that is obviously struggling from a mental health situation, that we can either refer them ourselves directly to UHS or we can call a UHS counselor to bring them into our facilities which we’ve done,” Horn said.

This fall, RecSports plans to break ground on rebuilding the Southeast Recreational Facility. The new plan will include more accessible facilities for students with disabilities, as well as more gender neutral bathrooms and locker rooms.

According to Horn, Rec Sports plays a large role in student well-being

“We play a part in their physical well-being, but their social well-being, their mental well-being,” Horn said. “We help them with stress relief, we help them prepare to do well in the classroom, we give them alternatives to other activities that ... might not make them as successful in the classroom.” 

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