IU Rec Sports seeks diverse employees

Sports has served countless students and faculty members. Now, IU Rec Sports’ intramural program officials are reaching out to hire a more diverse group of employees to encourage more individuals to get involved.\n“I’ve definitely seen an increase in diverse employment in our department and it’s good because minority or international students can see me working for the Rec Sports and they think even they can be a part of the team,” said Satoshi Kido, assistant director of intramural sports at IU.\nShauna Robbins, assistant director of the intramural sports and student development for Rec Sports, said in the past few years she has seen a drastic increase of minority employment in intramural sports. She said Rec Sports wants to hire more employees in order to diversify the department and help students from different backgrounds become motivated to join Rec Sports’ various programs. \n“As far as I know, Rec Sports, especially the intramural sports division, has tried very hard to hire diverse people as our employees,” Robbins said. “It’s a great way to send out a positive message to all the students and faculty in IU that we welcome anyone, regardless of where you come from.” \nAccording to the Rec Sports Web site, IU Rec Sports offers 32 intramural sports and about 20,000 participants are monitored by 800 part-time student employees and more than 50 professional staff. \nChristine Geary, director of programming and research for IU Rec Sports, said a recent employee demographic survey showed that about 14 percent of Rec Sports employees were non-white.\nGeary said she believes the main reason Rec Sports has seen a steady increase in diverse employment is that it provides a welcoming, positive atmosphere for anyone who is interested in working there.\nThe department tries to motivate the staff to provide quality, consistent service for everyone, Geary said.\nSenior Eta Isiorho, head official for the intramural indoor and outdoor soccer games, agreed with Geary, adding that she loves working for Rec Sports because everyone is very encouraging and respectful to each other. Isiorho, a Nigerian-American student, has been working for Rec Sports for about two years. \nKido said IU Rec Sports is looking forward to hiring more diverse and qualified employees for their department.\n“Rec Sports is for everyone so I think anyone should feel free to join and have a good time,” he said.