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UTB/TSC Dedicates Recreation, Education and Kinesiology Center
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – OCTOBER 14, 2009 – The 65 student employees of the Recreation, Education and Kinesiology (REK) Center, sang and danced a routine shouting “ “Let’s be strong, Let’s be fit, Sting ’em hard, Sting ’em hard, Let’s sting ’em hard!”
That was the message they carried at the dedication of the REK Center, Wednesday, Oct. 14 The event also helped to kick off Homecoming Week.
In attendance were a group of students, called the REKing Crew, who led the student initiative that pushed for a campus recreation and fitness center.
“A few of us got together and started talking about this idea of building a fitness facility here at UTB/TSC that was comparable to those at other institutions,” said Edward Camarillo, a member of the original REKing Crew. “We presented it to the student body and held meetings across campus, and it really took off from there.”
The facility is the first newly constructed facility financed in part by the 2004 bond issue that serves Campus Recreation and the Department of Health and Human Performance.
“I want to express my gratitude to all the great people of our district that agreed to be taxed at a higher rate so that we could build this dream and expand this beautiful campus in a way that would benefit the community,” said Texas Southmost College Board Chairman David Oliveira.
Special, symbolic features of the new building include the four iron art panels that grace the social space inside the front doors.
“These are symbolic of the philosophy of our campus, each depicting a value that we weave throughout our designs,” President Dr. Juliet V. García said. “They are: respect for the environment, the importance of the study of science, exercise and the body-mind development, and the joy that comes from dance and play.”
Campus Recreation is charged with developing the recreation, fitness and wellness culture on campus through Campus Recreation programming. Director of Campus Recreation Laurie Braden is responsible for the management of the entire 120,000 square-foot complex.
She introduced her Campus Recreation staff and also the 65 student employees who work at the REK Center, calling them “role models for excellence, in service, attitude, dedication and most importantly, in pursuit of positive health.
“This is indeed a great day at the REK,” Braden said. “The REK Center is the evolution of Campus Recreation as a vibrant and formalized unit within the Division of Student Affairs, and because of that we create success. We couldn’t be here today if the community, UTB/TSC students and administration hadn’t come together to create a climate for team success.”
A department of the School of Education, the Health and Human Performance department occupies one wing of the REK Center and offers a Bachelor of Science degree to students preparing for careers as educators and exercise science specialists.
“Having the new REK Center is the fulfillment of a dream of the Department of Health and Human Performance,” said Dr. Zelma Mata, Chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance. “We were able to partner with the students to make this a reality. This is a dream that has been shared by the faculty for the past 30 years.”
Among many types of research, Mata said the department is working collaboratively with the School of Public Health in areas such as childhood diabetes.
According to Mata, this year’s enrollment has shown an 11 percent increase in kinesiology majors and about a 50 percent increase in exercise science majors. “We think it’s the labs and having this great facility. If you build it, they will come,” she said.
In attendance at the dedication were three retired instructors “who laid the foundation for this department:” Jimmy Dodd, Marsha Barrett and Marveen Wallace.
“It is so wonderful to see the campus spirit; it’s just great. I think the building has generated that,” said Wallace, who retired in 1993 after 16 years at UTB/TSC.