One of the most well attended sessions during the 2017 NIRSA Annual Conference was Keith Howard’s presentation “Race, Identity, and Belonging: Examining College Students’ Preferences for Sport and Active Recreation.” Keith, instructor in the Department of Health and Exercise Studies at North Carolina State University, was the 2015 recipient of the NIRSA Research Grant, which was generously funded by donors to the NIRSA Foundation. He used the grant to support this research project.
The purpose of Keith’s research was to elucidate the value that African American students place on participating in recreational opportunities in predominantly white institutions. Keith states, “For African American students in these types of institutions, having the chance to bond through intramural sports, informal recreation, and group fitness classes with friends who can relate to being a student of color has great value. This holds true even for students who appreciate and embrace the opportunity to meet students from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds.”
More significant is that many of the participants cited an interest in activities like snowboarding, kayaking, and rock climbing—activities not often associated with African American sport or recreational interests. This observation lends insight to the myths surrounding racial preferences in sports and may require a re-framing from a recreational perspective of what under-represented groups of students want in terms of recreation. It also encourages the profession as a whole to reconsider ways to reach out to this population of the campus community.
Keith’s contribution to the literature of collegiate recreation further demonstrates the value that students place on recreational opportunities—particularly among underrepresented groups. Members can contact Keith to learn more about this research project.
- For more information about the NIRSA Research Grant, please contact NIRSA Research Coordinator Ruben Guzman.
Ruben Guzman is currently the Research Coordinator at NIRSA
