WREC Year End Report

By its very nature, AO is a program that operates overnight and on
weekends. Thus, these issues will begin to impact student affordability.
Furthermore, outdoor pursuit programs like AO have been proven
most impactful to student success when involved with longer trips
which make deeper campus connections and develop more meaningful
relationships. Another natural consequence of these issues is
AO being financially forced to offer shorter trips.
With the CSU 2025 Graduation Initiative as backdrop, Chancellor
White stated at the January AOA Conference that student connectedness
is the number one factor influencing student success (retention,
perseverance, excellence). Wage increases and non-exempt
employee statuses, are and will continue to increase price points
and reduce trip durations.
All this said, there is a tipping point on the horizon when the AS
will have to determine if AO is going to continue to be all that it has
been in terms of contributing to student success or will it be relegated
to a short trip excursion retailer to those students that can afford
it. As AO continues to demonstrate its student impact both metrically
and via student stories, it is time to examine the financial viability
of overtime versus exempt status as well as what are realistic future
price points for trips.
Lost in all of this is one of AO’s strategic “No” answers. This year AO
surveyed campus about departmental interest in AO led team building
trips and activities. The response was overwhelmingly favorable.
Supporting data can be seen here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kt0U1u3Vyb_6YwHwnfzWx_58eMAmcjFeTcE7pBLh1uY/edit?usp=sharing
This type of program is 100% in AO’s wheelhouse and would serve
not only as a good opportunity for student employees but also a
decent income generator. However, due to the non-exempt status of
two thirds of its employees and the additional workload that would
be created, AO has had to sideline this program for the time being.
WREC STUDENT EMPLOYEES
At the time this document was
starting to be created in June,
the WREC had 160 total student
employees. This total includes
a few groups of students
that do most of their work outside
of the WREC such as AO
trip leaders, Bike Cart, Zen Den,
etc. Additionally, care was taken
to count students only once that hold
two positions for the WREC. Lastly, these
numbers do not include student employees of
Recreational Sports.
During fall semester, the WREC started its own
on-boarding program. Every employee, full or
part-time, spends an hour with the Director and
Assistant Director of Membership. The major emphasis is to create
a foundation for each new employee by building expectations and
understanding the WREC’s history, purpose and relationship to the
AS and campus. Obviously, the WREC’s new mission and values are
reviewed. Topics also include items central to all AS employees such
as Workers Comp, Negligence, Emergency Action Plans, etc. As AS
Human Resources begins take over new hire paperwork for students,
there is an opportunity to coordinate relevant messages so students
hear them repeatedly and consistently. Below is video link that we
use to kick off each monthly WREC on-boarding meeting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDy49_OmlXY
Each fall the WREC hosts an all staff training one day during the
week prior to the start of classes. The WREC is closed until noon and
the morning is spent reviewing global issues with the entire group
and then breaking off into work areas for more specialized training.
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