The University of Arizona’s Campus Recreation Center moved up to No. 33 on a list of the nation’s top 50 collegiate campus recreation centers, according to College Consensus.
College Consensus is a website that aggregates college rankings and student reviews into a score for schools. The schools are then listed by score in various categories, from best research colleges to best liberal arts colleges, for example.
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According to College Consensus’s website, to make the top 50 list of campus recreation centers, schools had to first qualify for a College Consensus score, which came from publisher ratings and student reviews. From there, College Consensus editors selected schools they thought had “the most spectacular recreation centers” and ordered the schools by their College Consensus score.
Ranked at 33rd, UA’s Campus Rec has the following to offer, according to College Consensus: “The University of Arizona Campus Recreation Center is one of the top examples of a student recreation facility in the Southwest, and one of the most highly developed student recreation programs anywhere. There is no reason at all for students to be bored, or out of shape, at UA – indoor and outdoor activities, world-class facilities, and wellness options ranging from yoga to nutrition. In particular, UA offers an incredible number of opportunities from the Outdoor Rec program, from hiking and climbing to kayaking and caving – everything the Southwest has to offer.”
Andrew Huff, assistant director of Outdoor Rec, said what really makes UA’s Campus Rec remarkable is the amount of training staff receive.
“What sets us apart? For the outdoor side, intramurals. We train our staff at different levels,” Huff said. “We have a lot of strong individual programs.”
Huff said he was pleased to be included in the list. Natalie O’Ferrell, associate director of programs, saw the ranking more as a call to move even higher on the list, though she was pleased with the facilities that were highlighted.
“Rankings happen two times out of the year,” O’Ferrell said. “This is one of several that we have been listed on. I ask the question … what is someone else doing that we’re not doing?”
Jake Minnis, fitness and wellness coordinator at Campus Rec, said he wanted to improve as a staff, but he liked how inclusive Campus Rec is.
“We allow non-members to take part in individual and group activities,” Minnis said. “With individual programs, they are trying to reach their inclusive groups. They seek to cater to all ages and abilities regardless of disability.”
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Huff agreed, saying that while the staff was young, they’re always looking to improve.
“We have a good idea of our vision … where we need to go,” Huff said.
Two other Pac-12 school made the list. UCLA came in at No. 4 and University of Colorado-Boulder came in at No. 21. Both schools have plenty of impressive amenities to offer students and inspire other campus recreation facilities to take note of what they’re doing to promote fitness in their student bodies.
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