Since October, NSU’s RecPlex has offered students the opportunity to attend The Breakroom, a program that takes place Monday through Friday at the RecPlex basketball courts, where students can play games and watch live sports while socializing safely following CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
According to Christopher Anguita, assistant director of intramural and club sports at the RecPlex, this event idea was conceived in March during the start of the COVID-19 outbreak as Anguita’s team projected what the future of RecPlex programs would look like. The goal was to make sure that students felt active and engaged to a point that it sparked unity and a sense of community, despite the challenging times of the pandemic.
“It’s certainly trying to network and bring the students together, but how do you do that in a time when you are being told to socially distance? I came to think, ‘What can we do to get students engaged physically and mentally?’ So, we thought about a breakroom and the type of resources we could provide. We thought of video games initially, but wanted students to still feel active, so Wii gaming provides that. We also came up with Mario Franchise games like Super Mario and Mario Kart as well as live sports and lawn games like cornhole,” said Anguita.
As this program is still relatively new, there have been some changes to the times that The Breakroom is available, and potentially, what and where these activities are provided by widening the overall availability. As of now, the hours fluctuate based on participation and interest in the program. Hours are focused primarily during lunch, after class times and prior to study hours.
“We want to provide times that accommodate students during times that they can enjoy themselves, which generally fall between lunch hours, before study times and after class. We’re seeing an interest in The Breakroom, but I’m finding that, being more strategic in terms of location, might be more helpful to students. Instead of students coming to [the RecPlex], I’m working with The Office of Residential Life and Student Housing and Greek Life organizations to provide services to them in spaces students are more comfortable with. The idea is to get the students involved in a way that works for them where they are most comfortable,” said Anguita.
Marie Adkinson, area coordinator for Mako Hall, explained that their once a month collaboration with The Breakroom is an opportunity to find the middle ground between a fun activity for students to participate in while tying in the required educational programming commitments that residential life abides by.
“We are looking for the most creative ways to program that are the most productive, educational and the safest while also being engaging to students. So, there are all these elements that everyone across campus is trying to navigate, and with the resources that The Breakroom can provide, we can make our programming fun and entertaining,” said Adkinson.
Plans for this program next semester have involved conversations about widening the availability to other residential halls and main campus locations as well as the possibility of starting a league competition to spark a sense of camaraderie between students.
“I certainly think The Breakroom will create that connection piece that we really don’t know how to [attain] right now… We are trying to find that bridge [between safety and socialized programs] and that’s complicated. This acts as one of those first steps to creating an idea of how programs can be safe as well as having a nice, social element that is keeping students connected,” said Adkinson.
Students are welcome to contact the RecPlex to provide any ideas or thoughts they have for programs they would like to see instituted in The Breakroom, as long as they are a service the RecPlex is capable of providing. Individuals interested in learning more about The Breakroom or other RecPlex programs can visit their website to learn more.
