2022-23 Annual Report-Donaghey Student Center

Mission

The Donaghey Student Center (DSC) contributes to the intellect of students by working with the colleges to present events, conferences, and training that aligns with their academic mission of instruction.

Development​: The DSC establishes a climate that encourages personal wellness and nurtures individuals to be positive contributors to society.

Se​rvice:​ The DSC supports the mission of the university by providing a diverse facility, programs, and services to enhance the institution’s educational environment and improve the quality of college life.

Community:​ The DSC is a place of convergence between the campus community and the community of Little Rock and surrounding areas.

Summary Narrative

Enhance the sustainability of auxiliary services

  • The DSC partnered with Admission this year to help host several New Student Orientations and Discover/Explore programs to help increase recruitment and retention. The return of Cheer and Wrestling camps this year has also helped.
  • The DSC was able to provide additional programs through intramural sports, outdoor recreation, and esports.
  • Opportunities were made available for students to participate in person as a team, individually, or virtually throughout each semester. Collaborations between the student body and external entities resulted in being able to provide virtual, in-person, and outdoor recreation unique opportunities.
  • Fit/Well was able to provide additional programs through Zoom and community outreach, in addition to their regular in-person and virtual programs. Through Zoom and partnership with campus and community organizations, live programming was provided to local middle school students, exposing them to campus-linked experiences as they enter key educational and developmental stages. Through the virtual step challenges, online, commuting, and non-local students and staff were also able to engage directly with campus programming that allowed them to participate using their most comfortable method. In-person events and offerings assisted with student and staff retention by allowing them to experience shared activities with others on campus.
  • The Fitness Center added several new pieces of equipment as a way to provide for the needs of the students and staff that utilize the fitness center. We purchased several shorter plyometric boxes that are much lighter and easier to use. In addition, we purchased several new kettlebells as we had an increase in usage/demand for this item.
  • The Fitness Center invested in several pickleball/badminton systems that allowed for having two games going on concurrently. Pickleball has been gaining popularity within the fitness center as students and staff have enjoyed this new sport. Intramurals even hosted a pickleball tournament in the spring semester.
  • Conference Services was able to implement approvers in Mazevo in order to facilitate approvers for student organization events on campus. This should make the process of approving events in SEC and Conference Services quicker and easier.
  • Information Services is an extension of the DSC that provides information and quality customer service by assisting our students, faculty, staff, and outside entities.
  • Aquatics Center hosted several swim meets that attracted several hundred potential students and parents. During these meets, marketing videos for UA Little Rock were shown on the video board for all to see.
  • Aquatics Center hosted US Navy Special Warfare, US Navy National Guard, US Army, US Army National Guard, US Marine Corps, US Air Force, USGS, US Army Jr. ROTC at the university pool.
  • Aquatics Center installed a new UV filtration system to help with chloramines in the water.
  • Conference Services had the walls painted and new partitions installed in our Ledbetter Conference rooms.
  • DSC had the back corridor floor replaced with LVT along with the back leisure science hallway in the fitness center.
  • Fitness center will have the flooring of the first floor replaced this year after sustaining flood damage over Christmas Break.
  • Aquatic Center is having two major air handlers replaced to help with circulation and air flow. This will help control the oxidation due to the chlorine causing things to rust.
  • DSC also had the entire building pressure washed this year from top to bottom. We also had CertaPro come in and paint the water stains on the upper concourse.

Enhance the recruitment, service, and engagement of and for UA Little Rock’s diverse student population

  • The Fitness Center continued to employ students from around the world. The 2023 staff included students from Brazil, Bosnia, Mexico, and India.
  • Conference Services employed 16 students, mostly work-study, and had four students graduate in FY23. These students worked over two years in Conference Services.

Prioritize compensation, professional development, and work environment necessary to recruit and retain a diverse student affairs staff that is prepared to support a diverse student population.

  • The Fitness Center Manager utilized his connections with Simmons Bank to help two student workers (from Bosnia) secure interviews and full-time jobs as data analysts. Both students were very appreciative of the efforts to help them find full-time employment.
  • This year the DSC worked diligently with staffing our areas and hours of operation. The ultimate goal was having adequate coverage that translates to being efficient and sufficient at the same time.
  • The unit worked very closely with the Office of Financial Aid to use and hire work-study-eligible students. Trojan Works was another great avenue that supported us in providing student workers for the DSC.

Other

  • DSC provided tornado-relief supplies for students who were in need after the April tornado that impacted our students. We also offered the use of the locker and shower areas as a way to help the victims recover and heal.
  • DSC Fitness Center and University District partnered to host a health fair for the surrounding community. This year’s Health Fair was done online and participants signed up and had to complete a health evaluation to receive a membership.
  • DSC partnered with eStem to host four soccer games at the Coleman Sports and Recreational Complex, along with homecoming and several sports banquets.


At A Glance

Intramural Sports

  • Fall and Spring outdoor recreation kayaking trip at Two Rivers Park.
  • Fall outdoor recreation trip at the Little Rock Climbing Center.
  • Team entry into the 2023 NIRSA eSports Championships.
  • Various information tables at events i.e. Discover UA Little Rock, Earth Day, Sustainability Day etc.
  • Speaking engagements with CLC Classes about involvement and opportunities they have with Campus Recreation.
  • Weekly student staff meetings and office hours are held.
  • Estimated Downloads Campus Rec Mobile App – 200+
  • Number of Sports/Events Offers – 25
  • Number of Games Scheduled – 282
  • Number of Teams Created – 200
  • Number of Participants – 546
    • Number of participants is the count of students who played sports (students who are on multiple teams are counted multiple times).
  • Number of Unique Participants – 280
    • Number of unique participants is the count of unique students who played sports (students who are on multiple teams are only counted once).
  • Number of Participations – 1,596
    • Participations is the count of every time a student participates in a game (as marked on the scoresheet).
  • Number of Student Workers – 9

Fit/Well

  • Fitness Classes offered Summer, Fall, and Spring
    • 14 per week during Summer
    • 13 per week during Fall
    • 14 per week during Spring
    • Number of Fitness Class Participants: 1,280
  • Step Challenges offered Fall and Spring (6 weeks each semester)
    • Participants Registered- Fall Step Challenge- 233
    • Total Number of times participants steps reported their weekly steps- 646
    • Survey emailed to all 233 participants, 23 responses received
    • Participants Registered- Spring Step Challenge- 113
    • Total Number of times participants steps reported their weekly steps- 326
    • Survey emailed to all 113 participants, 26 responses received
    • New question added to spring survey, asking how many times each person has participated in our step challenges
  • Provided 2 Yoga sessions for the Bowen School of Law Stressless Fair
  • Provided Yoga session for UA Little Rock TRIO mentors and staff
  • Provided an educational nutrition session for the UA Little Rock ACCE (Academics, Community, Career Development and Employment) students
    • Engaged with 14 of their students and 1 administrator
    • Gave in-person basic nutrition presentation
    • Provided them with handouts illustrating healthy eating habits, including how to set up components for each meal
  • Performed 2 Kids Yoga Zoom sessions through UA Little Rock’s Children International for Cloverdale and Dunbar Middle Schools
    • Engaged approximately 990 students and their teachers
    • Furnished the teachers with printable handouts that they can use to lead a 5 – 10 minute session for their students on their own
  • Participated in the PEAW class visits scavenger hunt event, providing Campus Recreation information to new students
  • Continued the partnership with Counseling Services for the Movement Monday lunchtime activity participation program
  • Monthly fitness staff meetings held
  • Personal Programs offered Summer, Fall, and Spring
  • Volunteered at UA Little Rock Campus Garden
  • Various information tables at events i.e. Discover UA Little Rock, Earth Day, Sustainability Day etc.

Fitness Center

  • Fitness Center usage showed an increase compared to the 2021-2022 academic year. This year the Fitness Center averaged 603 visits per week (86/day) as compared to last year when we averaged 500/week /72 visits/day.)
  • The Fitness Center hosted several large events such as Mixed Martial Arts tournaments (2), a Science/Robotics Fair, Tae Kwon Do Tournament plus a Cheerleading Camp.
  • Monthly revenue through May of 2023 totaled $ 29,742.00. In the 2021- 2022 period, we received $17,240 in revenue. This represents an increase of nearly 70%. The Fitness Center revenue comes from memberships, guest passes and locker rentals.

Conference Services

  • Conference Services worked with IT Services to implement new scheduling software (Mazevo). Conference Services transitioned to Mazevo in Spring 2023 with minor interruption to our processes and scheduling services.
  • With the transition to Mazevo, we were also able to implement automatic invoicing with the setup of billing tables for special groups.
  • Conference Services saw a 35% increase in revenue for FY 23. This was mostly due to us returning to normal operations post-COVID.
  • The partitions in Ledbetters were replaced making the space more appealing to guests wanting to schedule conferences.
  • MidSouth returned to campus to host their annual conference post-COVID and added two extra conferences for this summer.
  • Conference Services participated in the Assessment Partners Program by sending out requests for participation in the focus groups and surveys for the assessment. We had 4 participants in the focus group. The most important highlight was the need for more intuitive scheduling software. This is something we wish to have accomplished with the implementation of Mazevo.

Information services

  • Assisted new and current students with information about the university.
  • Provide identification cards for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Planned and organized our General operation session (GOS).
  • Renegotiated the DSC Leafscape contract. We went down from $730 every month to $455.
  • Redecorated our front desk area.
  • Provided job placement for 7 student workers
  • Printed over 1000 identification cards this year

Aquatics Center

  • Aquatics Center partnered with UA Little Rock Swim Academy to provide lane space for swim lessons. As of June 30, 2023, there have been over 300 participants who have used the program this summer.
  • Hosted this year’s Special Olympics Meet for over 60 kids.
  • Hosted our First Master’s Meet and had over 40 participants and several records were set in our pool.
  • 6A State Championship Swimming and Diving Meet with over 12 schools and 200 participants.


Assessment 1

Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal

Access | Increase student access to transformative educational experiences that are affordable, versatile, and relevant.

Alignment with Student Affairs Goal

Increase access to student wellness and inclusion services

Goal

Provide students and staff with the opportunity to participate in campus-linked programming regardless of their physical location and fitness level.

Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)

Operational

Activity or experience being assessed

Fall 2022 Step Challenge- A Metro Trail A Day

Assessment artifact

Survey

Time period assessment was done

Fall 2022

Results

Link to survey summary

Just over 50% of respondents’ activity levels increased during the program, and for almost 48% of those, it was due to participation in the program.

For 65% of participants, program participation definitely assisted them with reaching their personal activity level goals, and for 17% it might have helped them.

For approximately 74% of participants, the theme created interest for them in the program.

Participation in the program increased knowledge of walking/hiking trails in the Little Rock Metro Area for over 95% of participants.

Over 91% would definitely like to see a program like this continue in the future.

Participants found that stressing that it was a challenge and not a competition was empowering, and fostered a spirit of self-efficacy, self-care, and self-growth. (Self-awareness and efficacy are both program goals)

The weekly reporting requirement increased personal awareness and motivation for activity.

Participants enjoyed having the structure of the program and receiving the information regarding the trails.

Some felt as if running and intense exercise are usually promoted as the only paths to wellness (in general society). Walking is included in the methods for achieving steps in this program, allowing them to do whatever they want, at any speed.

Participants enjoyed the inclusivity of the program- individuals could participate regardless of their fitness or mobility level.

Participants enjoyed being provided with programming that allowed them to directly experience nature.

Continuous improvement process

  • A larger variety of weekly drawing prizes will be explored.
  • More regularity in the timing of weekly emails.

WHEN:

Fall 2023


Assessment 2

Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal

Experience | Improve the student, faculty, and staff experience by cultivating an engaging campus community that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

Alignment with Student Affairs Goal

Develop a responsive student experience and engagement program

Goal

Gauge student interest in outdoor programming

Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)

Operational

Activity or experience being assessed

Campus Recreation outdoor programs

Assessment artifact

Survey and observations

Time period assessment was done

May 2023

Results

We offered four outdoor recreation experiences during the current year that included three kayaking trips and one Little Rock Climbing Center trip. The Fall semester kayaking trip registration was at full capacity and received positive feedback from participants to continue these activities during the Spring semester.

Continuous improvement process

The spring semester kayaking trip registration was full capacity within 24 hours of registration opening, so we offered another day due to overwhelming requests and day 2 registration was full capacity within 48 hours. With the amount of feedback received post-trips, students were excited to see these opportunities and hope to see them in the future. These opportunities provided social interaction, stress-reducing activity, and learning about history and activities that can be offered within the UA Little Rock area.

WHEN:

Fall 2022 and Spring 2023

Assessment 3

Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal

Experience | Improve the student, faculty, and staff experience by cultivating an engaging campus community that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

Alignment with Student Affairs Goal

Develop a responsive student experience and engagement program

Goal

Improve staff training in DSC

Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)

Learning outcome

CAS Domain: Cognitive complexity

Activity or experience being assessed

Staff training

Assessment artifact

Survey and observations

Time period assessment was done

May 2023

Results

The objective of GOS was for our staff and student workers to get some training and to have a better understanding of their department. GOS was a success. They all got to know each other and got a better understanding of their duties.

Survey results are below, based on 20 respondents.

I have a basic understanding and knowledge of what Campus Recreation has to offer UA Little Rock students.

Yes – 100%

I have a basic understanding and knowledge of Fit/Well Classes.

Yes – 90%

No answer – 10%

I have a basic understanding and knowledge on how to register for Intramural Sports.

Yes – 100%

I have a basic understanding and knowledge about Outdoor Recreation.

Yes – 95%

No answer – 5%

I feel confident I can visit with students about IMLeagues.

Yes – 95%

No – 5%

I feel confident I can visit with students about the Campus Rec Mobile App.

Yes – 100%

Continuous improvement process

With the results we received from the survey, we will allow our managers to discuss what each one is in charge of. We will also add more customer service training and discuss Incident and Accident reporting.

WHEN:

Fall 2023