Fauz Adeyinka
Clemson University

Please provide a statement of your personal views on the role and contributions of collegiate recreation in higher education. In your response, describe how collegiate recreation has influenced your development.

I began working in collegiate recreation in the Fall of 2019 with the Intramural Sports department at the University of Maryland. I started as an Intramural Sports Official and have since had the opportunity to work as an Intramural Sports Supervisor, Intramural Sports Manager of Officials’ Development and currently an Intramural Sports Program Assistant. With these experiences, I have had the opportunity to develop a variety of skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork, which would be incredibly valuable and beneficial to my academic and professional future.

The most significant impact of collegiate recreation on a campus community is improving the well being of students both physically and mentally. Recreation has the power to bring people together, and provides them a safe and healthy outlet to relieve stress and improve their health. College is an incredibly stressful time, and being able to use recreation as an outlet to destress is very beneficial.

Collegiate recreation also helps promote diversity and inclusion in a campus community. Having students engage in campus recreation allows for a diversified and welcoming environment for students with various fitness abilities and backgrounds.

The most significant contribution collegiate recreation has given me is confidence and a sense of belonging. Officiating and working as an intramural sports supervisor has allowed me to feel more comfortable interacting with people, and has given me the opportunity to feel like I belong at my institution. Being a Nigerian immigrant, I never believed I would be able to hold such meaningful positions where I have the courage to present in front of a classroom of 60 new officials, teaching them how to referee a brand new sport. I would have never dreamed that I would have the confidence to act as a mentor to younger students, helping them learn and grow in their own officiating journeys. I am incredibly grateful that collegiate recreation provided me with these opportunities, and I will always cherish the skills I have learned through this vocation.

Within the context of the NIRSA Strategic Plan, what area/item would you say is a major issue students face today? How would you address this issue during your term?

From my understanding of what the NIRSA strategic plan represents, it seems to be a platform that aims to provide resources for students to aid them in both their well-being and professional development. I think one of the issues is the financial burden it might require students to be a member of NIRSA, attend conferences not including transport and any additional cost in correlation with the resources they are provided. How can we raise funds to make it cheaper? I know there are scholarships in place for students to help with the burden and some schools help with those costs but not everyone is as fortunate to earn the scholarship and be supported by their school, so how do we reach those people? Being that the students are the future of the program, it will be easier to make their access to NIRSA financially easier so they can truly understand the beauty within NIRSA at conferences and events. It is also important to make sure that the money the student puts into NIRSA is equivalent to the resources they are receiving. This is definitely a hard topic to address and I’m not sure I have the perfect solutions for this problem but my hope to solving this problem will be to find ways to be intentional about outreach to students and the resources we provide them and also reduce the cost by implementing more fundraising and other sources to accumulate more money to cover the expenses.

Describe your contributions to NIRSA (i.e. presentations, volunteering, previous leadership roles, etc.) and identify how your involvement and experiences qualify you to advocate for and serve the students of the Association.

I started my involvement with NIRSA in 2021 as an official at a regional flag football tournament. Ever since, I have continued my involvement with NIRSA as an official in both flag football and basketball and received All-American honors in both sports. I also had the opportunity to attend the 2023 Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, where I was able to network and meet students and professionals from across the country. At this conference, I was able to gain perspective on how to maximize my college experience through recreation, ways in which I can positively impact and improve upon my school’s program, as well as how to utilize the skills and knowledge I have gained through campus recreation in my future academic and professional endeavors. Now, I plan on continuing my education as a graduate assistant in order to further develop my relationship within NIRSA and continue to build meaningful connections with diverse groups of people. Having met so many different and unique people through various NIRSA events has provided me with the perspective required to adequately serve as an advocate for my fellow peers.

The Student Leadership Team focuses on student development and Student Member recruitment and retention. What skills, talents, and perspectives would you bring to the Student Leadership Team that would contribute to this focus?

Skills like leadership, teamwork, public speaking, and critical thinking are important skills that I have developed throughout my undergraduate education. I am able to apply the things I have learned from these experiences into my daily life, making a positive impact on how I interact with others and allowing me to get out of my comfort zone. I’m addition, my identity as a Nigerian American is a unique perspective I feel can contribute to the role by being able to relate and reach not only a broad audience but more importantly specific minority and diverse groups who might feel unheard within the NIRSA community. This skill set will also be very transferable into the student leadership team role.

Describe your leadership style. How will it benefit you and the rest of the Student Leadership Team?

I often find myself in leadership roles, and have a passion for mentoring and teaching. In my role as an intramural supervisor, I serve as a role model for other supervisors, as well as a teacher to new officials, and love helping others grow. I am able to lead by example and work with a diverse group of students, always making decisions on what is best. My leadership involves empowering others in order to guide them to reaching their fullest potential. I often try to identify a person’s strengths to provide them opportunities that maximize their abilities. I am also devoted to advocacy in any leadership role I hold, ensuring that all voices are heard and that new perspectives are constantly being recognized. This would positively impact the student leadership team because this leadership style seeks to highlight everyone’s strengths and abilities. I work to make people feel heard and involved, hopefully creating a space that all people feel welcome.

As a member of the Student Leadership Team, you have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the field of collegiate recreation. However, we acknowledge and respect that you are a student first. Explain your strategies for maintaining a healthy balance between your various roles (student, volunteer, athlete, employee, etc.).

My main strategy is taking a look at my calendar in advance and creating a schedule of events that are important based on my school, work, and extracurricular activity schedule. Depending on how heavy a week is, I typically block off either an entire weekend or one of the other to allow myself time to take care of myself and reset for the upcoming weeks.