Tayllor Johns
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 believe that the role and contributions of collegiate recreation in higher education are crucial to building community, honing leaders, and creating equitable resources for those involved. Collegiate recreation allows for community to be built, not only through individual departments, but across departments, state lines, and even countries. The community I have built through my time in collegiate recreation has been invaluable to my success and happiness within the field. Not only through my school’s recreation programs but through the opportunities NIRSA has provided me, I have been able to develop as a leader, create lasting communities in various places, and advocate for students in collegiate recreation. Being both the AZ and SC State Student Leader I have connected with students and professional staff to share my ideas while also opening my eyes to others ideas and backgrounds within collegiate recreation. Through these two roles, I have had the opportunity to present at conferences and share my knowledge, help students find their niche within recreation, and connected with people who I may have otherwise not known. These positions have really helped me grow as a leader by teaching me how to better communicate, time manage, and advocate for others and to me, that is a big role of collegiate recreation. I believe that most students who start working in recreation during their undergraduate career come in for a few reasons, one, they need a job and money. Two, they have a niche they want to continue, for example, sports programs or outdoor programs. However, I think this is where collegiate recreation shines, by showing students there is a world out there to learn from and that if they want, they can continue in the field with so much support from communities such as NIRSA. This is my experience with collegiate recreation. I needed a job in undergrad, loved the gym, and thought, what a perfect fit. Fast forward three years, I am about to graduate and see myself doing this as a career. While I had a lot of mentors at my institution, NIRSA played a valuable role in this decision, connecting me with people from all over, honing my skills as a leader, and giving me the opportunity to pursue a career. Ultimately, I believe that NIRSA and collegiate recreation have the ability to positively influence students to finding joy and fulfillment through recreation while developing them as people who can lead, create community in unexpected places, and open doors for those who may not have known they were there in the first place.

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?

Looking through the NIRSA Strategic Plan, there is one aspect I feel is a major issue students are facing within the industry today. It is discussed as “workforce” in the strategic plan, but explained that there are generational gaps within the industry that need to be addressed to move forward within the workforce. I believe this to be a major issue that students face because although students are mainly working in their respective areas and with other students similar in age, leadership can come from different generations, creating gaps within the field. The strategic plan says it plainly, “current and future staff members will set new boundaries, challenge conventional staffing models and pay structures, and push for change” (NIRSA, 2024). I think this is an important issue because sometimes students feel stuck where they are because leadership just does not “get it”, due to those generational gaps. Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, generational gaps were clear with differences in opinions on how to best navigate the field post pandemic. I believe it is important to address this issue with compassion, empathy, and inclusion. While there are stark differences about how generations communicate, solve problems, and work day to day, it is important to work as a team in our field. Bringing compassion to all parties, regardless of what generation they come from is crucial, not only for professional members but for students. As a student I have seen how frustrating it can be when communicating with people who have not been a student in a while, whose values and viewpoints could be vastly different than yours. If I were selected for this role I would want to give students the opportunity to use this idea of generational gaps and communicating through those as a learning opportunity to grow through. I would like to research the differences in communication types and how those affect both professional members and students and set initiatives forward to lessen those gaps or find ways to communicate better through those. It would be beneficial to both parties to put in the work to better communicate and value each other through these generational gaps within the workforce.

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.

While I have been involved in collegiate recreation for about four years, I have only been involved in NIRSA for about two years. That being said, I have tried to be as involved as I could be in any opportunity that presented itself within the organization. My journey in NIRSA started when I became the Arizona State Student Leader for the 2023-2024 term. I had not really known where to start within NIRSA because at first it felt very overwhelming to come into a well established organization with no previous experience. However, I had a mentor who showed me where to start and encouraged me to apply for the State Student Leader role. Within this role I had the opportunity to work with the Region VI student leadership team and various professional members within the region. Working with the student leadership team I had the chance to help plan the 2023 regional conference, help identify key issues to discuss with students to help prepare them for the conference during the student lead on, and connect with students across the region. During my time as AZ Student Leader I was also able to connect with AZ State Director. Connecting with them was invaluable to developing as a leader because they gave me opportunities to pilot ideas within the state. We worked together to send out monthly newsletters and create virtual learning opportunities for students and professional members. During this term I was also able to attend the AZIRSA conference and present on the benefits of membership engagement with campus partners at Northern Arizona University and lead the Member Services roundtable discussion. When my time in Arizona was coming to an end and I was preparing for my graduate assistant role at Clemson University, I applied for the South Carolina State Student Leader position. Through this role I have been able to work closely with the Region II Student Leader, help plan and execute the student lead on during the regional conference, and work with the State Director to communicate with members through various platforms. At the student lead on I participated in a panel where students could ask their questions about next steps in collegiate recreation. These roles within NIRSA have strengthened me as a leader through developing my personal mission within recreation, taught me to be a better communicator, and have helped me connect with so many people within the field. One thing I have learned from these roles is that student voices are extremely important and should guide a majority of what we do and how we execute plans. Learning this early on in my career will help me excel in any role by being able to advocate for students and be a constant voice in places where not all students can attend, through this role I can be the voice for many, not just for one.

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?

I believe that everyone has a unique background that ultimately helps the way they learn both through wisdom and experience. Within my background I feel I have learned through experiences things that would benefit student development, engagement, and recruitment and retention. Firstly, through my degree I am working on some research within campus recreation about what student development theories are used within the field and gaps that may be missing in the research. This unique understanding of student development, specifically within recreation, would help SLT with developing students through not just personal ideas but through theoretical based research. I also have seen the effects of campus recreation on not only my development but other students, and can bring personal and professional anecdotes to use when trying to develop students. I was unsure of what I wanted to do career wise and through campus recreation I have found a passion. This perspective would ultimately benefit not only the rest of SLT but students in general by showing them the benefits of recreation from someone who wasn’t on the path to begin with. I believe my skills such as organization, open communication, timeliness, and empathy will help students within and outside of NIRSA know they have someone in their corner who wants to see them succeed in recreation. Organization and timeliness would aid in more administrative roles within SLT while empathy and communication would help people feel comfortable and confident to get involved with NIRSA. Another unique perspective I have when it comes to campus recreation is that although the field needs more professionals, it is okay if this is a stepping stone. Making people understand that campus recreation and NIRSA doesn’t have to be their end all career choice is something I have had to discover myself, but has made me feel more confident in the fact that I am learning transferable skills, gaining unique ideas from a unique workforce, and allows me to share that information with others. I think these aspects of myself and my personal experiences will help SLT in numerous ways by aiding in retention and recruitment, student development, and ultimately student experience within NIRSA.

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

I like to consider myself a servant or participatory leader. I believe that when you are working in a team, there is a shared vision to be achieved so it is best to allow the needs of others to be seen and taken care of to facilitate teamwork. This is not to say there are times when I forget about my own needs and assignments, but I value the opportunity to work with people and make them feel seen and that the work they do matters. I think it is important as a leader to do exactly what you are asking of other people, for example in my role as Operations Graduate Assistant I ask our Operations Assistants to help clean our facility. I think it important for me to be on the floor helping out in some capacity so that my students see that their work is valued and has meaning. As a leader, I do not think it is fair to expect something out of someone if you are not willing to do it yourself. This then leads into my idea of participatory leadership. When working in a team, I want everyone to have a say and hand in what we do so they have something to show for when asked about involvement. I would rather lead by allowing people to lean into their strengths and feel comfortable and confident in what they are doing, rather than assigning a task in which they feel lost or frustrated. I believe both servant and participatory leadership will benefit the Student Leadership Team in a number of ways. Firstly, it allows everyone to have a say in what they want to do and how they want to see things come to light. Secondly, it allows for everyone to be involved in the work and see their purpose in it. Lastly, I think it will benefit both parties by allowing open communication about things the team likes, does not like, or maybe what they want to change. This open communication can aid in making the Student Leadership Team a strong group of competent and confident leaders in all aspects of life.

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.).

Before starting my Graduate Assistant role I spent some time thinking about how much I would have to juggle at a new school with a new role, in a brand new place to me and felt so overwhelmed. I was stressed because I did not know how I was going to manage all of my responsibilities and take time for myself. I can confidently say I have figured out a really great balance at all those things and feel capable of maintaining that healthy, but delicate balance. As a student, GA, and State Student Leader, one strategy I have implemented has been to group alike things and do them all at once. My GA and State Student Leader work gets dedicated time each week to ensure I am meeting deadlines, attending meetings, and finishing up miscellaneous tasks. My school work is a different dynamic in which I know exactly when my classes are and block off time before and after to make sure all my duties as a student are completed on time. The balance of all these aspects really comes into play in my personal life. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, I like to weight train and run in my personal time, and I am an avid reader. I told myself that when I went to grad school I would not give up the things I love for school and/or work. By setting this boundary I have been able to manage time better, have gotten a lot better about leaving work, school, and home to be separate entities, and have done just that. Continued doing things I love while doing things that need to be done. This is not to say I have not had to sacrifice my free time for other things, but with setting firm boundaries I am able to manage my time effectively and feel confident in what I can and cannot do and communicate that to those around me to balance everything else going on in my life. Overall, I think this will set me up well for this role because I have already been involved in NIRSA and have had commitments to the organization, which I feel I can manage even better now.