Resources in the Athletic Department (AD) for all students, such as the Recreation Desk and intramural sport leagues, are just beginning to pick up steam as the school year winds down. However, there is much to be anticipated in the following semesters from Campus Recreation, as evidenced by their first few events. 

Campus Recreation also had a change in leadership this year, as former Student Life Activities Coordinator John Guetter left his position at Hamline early in September 2022. Vice President of Student Affairs, Dean of Students and Title XI Coordinator Patti Kersten then held the title of Student Life Activities Coordinator, and Campus Rec was quiet for a few months. 

Halsey Aitchison assumed the role at the beginning of spring semester 2023. Aitchison is currently also the Payroll Coordinator at Hamline, after his pre-pandemic position in the AD was dissolved. 

“I have always wanted to get back into athletics, and this is a good step back towards that side of campus,” Aitchison said.

As the Student Life Activities Coordinator, Aitchison is responsible for, among many other things, the Recreation Desk at the front of the Bush Student Center. The Rec Desk is staffed by students hired by Aitchison. Staffers are able to help students with access to equipment, signing up for leagues and finding teams to play with. 

“Working at the Rec Desk is a mix of interacting with students and giving them the opportunity to get outside and get active,” junior Rec Desk staffer Kayli Rodkewich said. 

Rec Desk staffers also assist with running and referee-ing the intramural sports. 

“I believe we have around 10 student workers staffing the desk, and then I also have another five or six that help run the intramural league on Tuesday and Thursday, and that number will grow in the fall semester as we add more leagues and have more events,” Aitchison said.

This semester, an intramural basketball league played multiple games and Campus Rec organized a beach volleyball tournament on April 30, even though it did not end up happening. In the upcoming semesters, Aitchison is hoping to promote interest in tournaments and events, and host more intramural leagues.

“We have the means to set up most intramural leagues, I have all of the equipment for all of that, so whatever the students are interested in, that’s what we’re gonna move forward with,” Aitchison said. 

Other opportunities include student-led organizations funded by Campus Recreation, such as R.I.S.E. Yoga club, the eSports club, the Cheer Team and the Climbing Club. This allows for unique, student-selected recreation opportunities for all students, not just athletes, to be supported. 

This spring break, the Climbing Club took ten members on a week-long trip to climb in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. The previous year, this org took members to climb in Boulder, Colorado. 

The eSports club also had a big year supported by Campus Rec, as this was the first year the org was able to set up and open to the public their game space in the third floor of the Bush Student Center. 

“The eSports organization will be looking to update and improve our gaming room to better fit the needs of both players within the org itself and for all students attending Hamline,” senior Colby Wong said in a message. “We want to be able to get in as many people as possible, especially gamers who play varieties of video games from eSports titles to non-eSports ones. We just want people to feel included and have fun.” 

Once Hamline’s best-kept secret, Campus Recreation and the intramural leagues are gearing up to be in full swing in the upcoming semesters. Opportunities for all Hamline students to get involved can be explored at sites.google.com/hamline.edu/hu-campus-rec/home.