Sarina Routowicz
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how and why you got started in Campus Recreation.
Hello! My journey in Campus Recreation began in the summer of 2014. I was really into physical fitness and when I toured at Oakland University and heard the on campus gym was hiring, it was a must. I applied, was hired, and have never left the field. I started in members services, spread my wings into group fitness and eventually moved to the top student leadership position of building manager. I am now in my second semester as the Graduate Assistant of Facilities and Student Development at Western Michigan University and enjoying every minute of the experience. Over the course of the 5 years that I have been involved in Campus Recreation, my interest has expanded far beyond physical fitness. Being in Campus Recreation gives me the opportunity to have a place in the journey of many students and assist with their personal and professional development.
Why do you want to be the next MIRSA State Student Leader?
I want to become the next MIRSA Student State Leader to learn more about the inner workings of the MIRSA. Being on the Student Involvement Committee for MIRSA this year has been such a great experience and has made me more curious about other aspects of the association. With my passion for student development, I believe I would have a lot to offer to other students in MIRSA.
What is the importance of students being involved in MIRSA/NIRSA?
It is crucial to get students involved with MIRSA/NIRSA. The future of the associations rely on the up and coming generation for innovative ideas, leadership, and involvement. The young adults involved with MIRSA/NIRSA now will hopefully continue to be involved as they progress in their careers and produce more students who seek ways to be involved. The cycle of being involved and creating a spark of involvement with fellow students and colleagues is how the associations will flourish.
What experiences do you have that make you a strong candidate for the MIRSA State Student Leader position?
My experience at Oakland University molded me into a leader, while my experience at Western Michigan University has provided me with the opportunity to put everything I learned at Oakland into practice. In my short time at WMU, I have created a student employee monthly newsletter that showcases our employee recognition system, provides personally written pieces for students' professional and personal development, and shares happenings around the recreation center as well as for the entire campus. I also reestablished our campus recreation registered organization in order to get students involved within MIRSA/NIRSA and the over all Campus Recreation community in general.
What is a new idea you would like to implement if selected as the new SSL? How would you go about implementing your new idea?
I have a few ideas that I think could get students even more involved in MIRSA than they already are. I've seen the excitement around the newsletter I create for my students at WMU and I think it is a very doable thing to do on a larger scale for our MIRSA students. Monthly may be reaching too far, but perhaps a quarterly newsletter would work better. Another idea could be a MIRSA mentor/mentee program. This would be a bit more of a lofty goal with the position being so short-term, but I would be up for the challenge! I think it would be something great to implement at the beginning of 2020 so I would have time to reach out to professional staff involved in MIRSA as well as the student members to inform them of the program. One of my favorite experiences at Oakland University was touring other schools on our way to Lead On in 2018. Perhaps MIRSA could do tours at their recreation centers for other colleges in Michigan. It could be a swap between schools or even done on a larger scale. This would involve communication with other schools to see if there was an interest and from there it would involve date setting.