A second RecRe box has been added to campus, behind the Bowers Center. Just like the first one in the Bird Cage, it is continuing to aid in accessibility. Instead of needing to go to a physical desk to sign out sports equipment, now students can just go to the box and rent it out that way. The best part about this is that it is available around the clock.
“Easier access leads to more engagement in sports and fitness, and a lot of people are socially awkward, so it’s good that you can get the equipment without needing to socialize,” Senior Tatum Felty said.
Sports have never been easier to jump into with this new way of obtaining the equipment needed. Easy access to sports equipment could lead to overall better physical health throughout campus without the previous limitations.
The process of signing gear out of the box stayed the same as well. All that students need to do is scan a QR code on the machine, create an account and choose what they want. They then have 12 hours until they must return it, which is just as easy. The only requirement is to take a picture of the ball back where it is supposed to be, and then it is officially returned.
Having the ability to use the box whatever time a student wants can let them “participate in outdoor fitness and wellness for longer hours of the day, especially on the weekends,” Whitney Crull, senior director for student involvement & well-being, said.
Renting out sports equipment is no longer limited to the hours of the Bowers Center, letting students choose exactly which times they want to be active during the day and night.
Students can also sample different sports that they may not have tried out before. When they participate in these varieties of games with friends, it may unlock a new passion that they did not know about before. It alleviates the pressure of needing to join an intramural or sports team around campus to try out a new hobby.
Adding even more RecRe boxes around campus is far from being out of the picture.
“The box in the bird cage did so well…[there were] over a thousand rentals and over almost 300 people that rented from it, which is why we got the second box. If that one goes well, it definitely leaves the door open for additional rental boxes across campus.” Crull said.
If more boxes were added to campus, the opportunities would be endless; RecRe leaves it up to the college for what each box has in its inventory. This could pave the way for boxes that have more practical items within them.
Crull gave some examples of this: “A lot of uses could come from [putting RecRe boxes in] the residence halls like vacuums, charging equipment or maybe even electronic gaming equipment.”
A box with practical items would alleviate some of the stress students get when they realize they left behind something important at home. Instead of needing to go to the store to buy a new vacuum or waiting until someone brings it to them, they could go to the box and rent one out for the day.
For now, the RecRe boxes are limited to recreational items, but if the impact of the two on campus continues to be good, then students may indeed expect to see more boxes pop up.
“The possibilities are endless when it comes to what you can put in there,” Crull said.
