Kickoff offers freebies, fitness

As sorority girls screamed and cheered with their new sisters across campus Monday night, another kind of noise came from the lobby of the Student Recreational Sports Center.

The smell of popcorn, as well as a bit of sweat, was in the air as the booming sound of top-40 hits filled the room.

An SRSC employee fist-pumped the air to the beat of “Till the World Ends” in the middle of the lobby as people flowed in and out.

Through Wednesday night, the SRSC is hosting a spring semester kickoff event.
Visitors spoke with staff and snagged some Recreational Sports (RS) swag at booths representing intramural sports, club sports, aquatics and fitness.

Theresa Lehman, assistant director of marketing, said the event usually draws more than 1,000 students over the three-day span.

“We’re trying to welcome students back. We know it’s busy this time of year,” she said. “It’s tough. It’s been a long break, and everyone is wanting to get back on track and get healthy and fit.”

In addition to welcoming those members back to campus, the event also serves as a way to receive student feedback and inform students about spring opportunities.
“It’s mainly just so we can hear from our students about what they love about our facilities and programs,” Lehman said.

A new way to get student feedback comes in the form of a costumed mascot — Active Andi.

Visitors to Andi’s booth posed with the new mascot while holding a dry erase board, upon which they wrote a few words about their feelings on RS’ programs and facilities.
The booth acts as both a personal testimony campaign and a social media campaign, new media coordinator Mike Walker said.

After students pose for a photo with Andi, the images are uploaded to RS’ Facebook page, where viewers can see the photos and “like” them. The person whose photo garners the most “likes” will win a prize pack that includes RS gear.

“We’re student-driven, and we want to know what students think,” Walker said. “Social media is where the conversation is happening today. It’s a unique way of marketing because it’s a two way street.”

Freshmen Erica Crowe and Samantha Copenhaver were leaving their Zumba class when they entered the lobby. The two made their way to Active Andi’s
photo booth.

As Copenhaver took her photo with Andi, Crowe stepped aside.
“I look so bad right now,” Crowe said, quickly smoothing down her hair.
Crowe wrote “I love Zumba” with a heart on the board and high-five-posed with Andi with a smile.

The two students, who attends Zumba classes in the SRSC almost daily, said they enjoyed the event.

“I’ve never him before, but it’s a nice touch,” Copenhaver said. “I think it’s a really good way to advertise. I don’t think people use the services here as much as they could.”
Freshmen Jordan Peirce and Waed Ramadan were drawn in by all the free items.

“I’m not going to lie, we wanted that T-shirt,” Ramadan said.

Others, such as sophomore Logan Laswell, picked up some info about RS programs with their free T-shirts. Laswell has attended group classes and intramurals and uses the SRSC’s weight room.

“We definitely would tell people to come,” he said. “We already take full advantage of the things they have here.”

Highlighting the fact that students pay for much of what RS offers in their student activity fee, Walker encourages students to take advantage of the offerings.

“We want them to know we have programs and services for everyone at every level,” he said. “We know that a lot of people do start the new year off healthily, and that’s why we want to have a large presence at the beginning of the year.”