Employee Appreciation Banquet

The Employee Appreciation Banquet is held annually to recognize the hard work of the student and non-student hourly staff that help make Campus Recreation great. This year’s banquet was held on Friday, May 1 in the Student Recreation Center. Over 140 employees attended and enjoyed an evening of dinner, prizes, awards, and memories. The Employee Appreciation Committee, made up of professional staff from the Campus Recreation department, is charged with planning and executing the banquet. 

This year’s banquet marked the beginning of the new theme… the Rec’ies! Students arrived to a Rec’ies themed “red carpet” photo area, and then grabbed dinner from the taco bar provided by La Luz. After dinner, the program begin with opening remarks by the Employee Appreciation Committee’s student representative, Alex Hill, who then introduced Campus Recreation Executive Director, Judy Muenchow. After Judy’s words of appreciation, the program kicked off with emcee Tyson Kehler (Campus Rec’s Associate Director of Facilities) announcing the prize drawings and the Employee of the Year Awards. This year’s area winners were:

• Jesse Tyler, Facilities Employee of the Year
• Tyler Kersey, Intramural Sports Employee of the Year
• Noah Hitch, Outdoor Program Employee of the Year
• Chelsea Murray, Personal Training Employee of the Year
• Zach Webber, Aquatics Employee of the Year
• Dr. Kristin Sample-Lord, Fitness Employee of the Year
• Ian May, Maintenance Employee of the Year
• Saibra Rubadue, Sport Clubs Employee of the Year
• Paige Kempski, Member Services Employee of the Year
• Julia de Jong, Recreation Supervisors Employee of the Year

In addition to the Employee of the Year awards, Campus Recreation recognizes four employees with the “top tier” awards. These four employees are chosen from the entire Campus Recreation staff through a nomination process. Over 25 employees were nominated for these awards this year from all areas, and the following four employees were recognized as the winners:

• Kenzie Stuart, recipient of the first ever David Karspeck Risk Management Award, which recognizes an employee who upholds the policies from the department’s Emergency Action Plan and Risk Management Handbooks, and goes above-and-beyond their work duties to keep our patrons safe. This award was created in honor of the 10th anniversary of the tragic death of David Karspeck. 
• Rudy Parks, recipient of the Exceptional Customer Service Award, which recognizes an employee who demonstrates outstanding customer service to the participants of Campus Recreation programs, activities, and events.
• Bre Snyder, recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award, which recognizes an employee who serves as a mentor and positive role model to their peers within the Campus Recreation department.
• Ashley Wylde, recipient of the Campus Recreation Award, which recognizes the employee who most authentically represents the core values of the department including integrity, community, and development.

After the awards were given out and the prizes raffled off, the students gathered to watch the End of the Year video, and then take a group photograph on the grand staircase. It was a wonderful evening to mark the end of a spectacular year at Campus Recreation.

Graduating Seniors

Each year, the best place on campus (#BPOC!) says goodbye to the graduating student staff. From Recreation Supervisors and Building Managers, to Outdoor Program Trip Leaders and Fitness Class Instructors, Campus Recreation wouldn’t be the great department it is without the effort of each and every single staff member. This year our graduating staff are:

Staff Memories

Photos from the 2014 – 2015 year at Campus Recreation