Nazim Chaker - Week 4 (Stark Recreation Center, MUW)

Activities

•          Updated weekly events
•         Approved reservations for rec center facilities
•          Performed maintenance on facility equipment
•          Contacted outside partners for new parts to gymnasium bleachers
•          Learned the hiring and firing process at The Stark Rec Center
•          Discussions with practicum supervisor on current recreation trends
•          Interesting note, someone wrecked there car into the exterior gymnasium wall

 Reflection on Practice

This week was the first time things felt kind of slow since I have been there, it was nice not having to plan an event again. That does not mean I had nothing to do this week. I learned in recreation centers there is a constant demand to make sure facilities are is good, operational shape. Things get used so often it is important to maintain them. I project I worked on a lot this week was the main gymnasium bleachers. The Stark Recreation Center does a good job at connecting with the community to use their facilities. It is also a very nice venue in town to host things, so long story short it gets used often. The director for facilitates and I both worked on them a lot. We did repairs and checked on parts. I forgot to mention this a huge retractable set of bleachers that has to close properly or it can cost a lot of money to repair. We came across broken parts that we were not able to fix. The bad part is this particular bleacher company service representative’s closest location is in Ohio. So they gave me the opportunity to contact them and order parts for this company. It was a cool experience for me because I know one day I might have to do something like this. It was a good experience for me.

Textbook Application

Throughout my experiences this week it has given me some positive things to look forward to for the future. I am excited that I am learning more about campus recreation. I had a really deep talk with my director this week about how I can go about thinking in the future. I dwelled a lot about chapter ten discussing my first job search and where I fit in student affairs. Many of the experiences I have had and the things I have a passion for apply to what this position offers. There was times before I got to the W where I thought the things I have done in the past student affairs wise was not beneficial for rec sports. My director has been really good at helping me bridge the gap when it comes to housing and campus recreation. It has been really nice to change my mind set on how I look at a job search. There are many times where I think to myself I can really see myself doing this for the rest of my career.

Theory Application

According to NASPA/ ACPA Professional Competences one competences focuses on personal foundations. I found this to relate very well to what I have been feeling and reflecting on this past week. It requires someone to have a realistic self-appraisal of your own strengths and weaknesses. That is something that I did a lot of when thinking about would I fit well for a job at a recreation center. It also states how important it is to do a lot of reflecting for your own personal development. Having those long conversations with my director gave me the chance to reflect during and after our talk. This was good for me to realize.

References

ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Retrieved from: https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/Professional_Competencies.pdf.