Challenges Faced and Solutions Implemented in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic among North American College Campus Recreation Staff

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the operation and availability of campus recreation services at North American colleges and universities. This study examined the challenges faced and solutions implemented by campus recreation departments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of campus recreation staff from across North America. Institution and staff characteristics along with challenges and solutions were collected from 174 campus recreation department staff via an online survey in November 2020. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analyses. As a result of the pandemic, campus recreation departments have experienced challenges regarding finances, staffing, student engagement, and health and safety. To address these challenges, departments have limited facility access and capacity, reduced spending, adjusted staffing levels and responsibilities, transitioned to virtual or modified in-person programming, leveraged intrauniversity collaborations, and implemented new health and safety protocols. Solutions have the potential to help institutions meet the needs of students during the pandemic and beyond. Virtual programming and reservation systems may be especially useful post-pandemic, and lessons learned regarding multi-faceted COVID-19 policy enforcement could help advance compliance with other policies, such as harassment.

Policies and Practices for Equity: Perspectives of Campus Recreation Staff in North America

“…Relative to the latter, private or female only workout spaces could help to reduce constraints associated with harassment or intimidation from male users, helping to address the physical activity comfort priority identified in the 'concentrate here quadrant' (Austin Robert Anderson et al, 2020;Carter-Francique, 2011;Hoang et al, 2016;Shaikh et al, 2018;Stankowski et al, 2017;. Moreover, many universities have developed facility/equipment reservation systems during the COVID-19 pandemic that could be leveraged for scheduling private workout spaces in advance (Powers et al, 2022b). Reservations systems could support physical activity prioritization, an important strategy for negotiating constraints to physical activity at campus recreation centers (Powers et al, 2019).…”

“…Data collected by the survey covered a range of topics including: campus recreation policies, programs and practices; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and the impact of the pandemic on campus recreation staff/departments. This study focuses exclusively on the equity related topics, with pandemic related findings reported in a prior study (Powers et al, 2022b). All equity related questions instructed to participants to answer questions as they would prior to the pandemic, as opposed to in the mist of the pandemic.…”

Exploring Campus Recreation Employees’ Work Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Zhang et al's study (2004) found that mid-level campus recreation employees experienced such as inadequate compensation and changing job roles. In addition, Powers et al's (2022) study on campus recreation employees’ experiences during the pandemic highlighted that employees experienced adjusted job responsibilities, new safety protocols, and budget cuts.…”

“…Universities and colleges did not avoid the impacts of the pandemic, resulting in many institutions' temporary closures and reopenings (Powers et al, 2022). As such, campus recreation departments also experienced these temporary closures and reopenings (NIRSA, 2020).…”

“…As such, campus recreation departments also experienced these temporary closures and reopenings (NIRSA, 2020). Campus recreation departments have implemented strategies such as limited capacity in facilities, adjusted staffing levels, virtual programs, and strict COVID-19 policies, to reopen the campus recreation facilities (NIRSA, 2020; Powers et al, 2022). With regard to the work environment of campus recreation, even before the emergence of the pandemic, Lopez et al (2020) stated that employees are susceptible to overwhelming workloads, conflicts between work and personal life, and limited opportunity for time off.…”