The assistant professor of sport and event management led presentations addressing the development of student leadership and the practice of equity, diversity and inclusion in collegiate recreation environments.
Cara McFadden, an assistant professor in Elon University’s Department of Sport and Event Management, was invited to serve as the faculty in residence at the 2017 B1G Ten Recreational Sports Conference. The annual event held May 16-18 at The Ohio State University drew nearly 175 attendees from across the Midwest.
The three-day event, hosted by OSU’s student life recreational sports staff, included conference sessions and speakers that focused on the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association’s strategic initiatives, including equity, diversity, and inclusion; leadership; sustainability; health and wellness; and global perspectives.
Don Stenta, OSU’s recreational services director and a frequent collaborator with McFadden, also noted that the annual gathering allows B1G Ten peers to connect and discuss topics relating to collegiate recreation facilities, programs and services.
While in Columbus, Ohio, McFadden and Stenta led a presentation titled “Developing Student Leadership Capacity during Divisive Times.” The session highlighted several common concerns within higher education settings related to the tone of national and local politics, rise of populism and nationalism, lack of conversations with civility, implications for student participants and employees, and the need for the development of professionals.
The presenters acknowledged that the need for intentionality in this development is often neglected, as is the fact that it is difficult to do within varying university environments. The presentation focused on the wide range of higher education environments and identifying student leadership development frameworks and models that support the intentional design of developing student leadership capacity with an emphasis on best practices.
Additionally, McFadden presented “Why the Practice of EDI is Critical in Collegiate Recreation Environments” with three colleagues: David Davenport, director of university recreation at Austin Peay State University, Marcus Jackson, associate director of recreational sports at the University of Michigan, and Stephanne Musser, assistant director of fitness services at The Ohio State University.
The presentation honed in on the practice of equity, diversity and inclusion in collegiate recreation environments. The presenters discussed the complexity of this work and the responsibility of professionals to educate, apply and train staff to better serve each other, participants, the university and surrounding communities. Participants were educated on the importance of being comfortable being uncomfortable, how to create brave spaces, and received take away strategies that can be used in collegiate recreation organizations to assist staff in their development related to EDI.