Student Recreation Center staffer on the move

Student worker Rafael Martinez appointed to powerful position in national association

By California State University, Bakersfield

June 28^th, 2022

When Rafael Martinez was hired to work at California State University, Bakersfield's Student Recreation Center as a freshman in 2018, the opportunity turned out to be much more than a way to earn money. Serving his fellow students gave Martinez a purpose and a direction for his life and career after college.

“When I stepped into the SRC, I knew it was my home away from home,” said the Arvin resident, who noted that as a commuter student, he needed to find a place on campus where he could spend time between classes.

“The SRC means so much to the students. Everything we do is for our CSUB students, and I started talking to the staffers there, who told me, ‘Hey, you could do this full-time as your profession.’ Right then and there, I went from being undeclared to focusing my studies on doing student recreation as a career.”

And now Martinez has a rare opportunity to develop his leadership skills even further: The graduate student has been appointed to the board of the national association that is comprised of and supports leaders in collegiate recreation around the country. SRC Director Mary O’Mahoney said Martinez is the first Roadrunner to be selected to serve the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, or NIRSA, as a student representative.

“It is definitely a point of pride to have him in a leadership position,” she said. “I think his being a student representative of a national association shows that CSUB provides opportunities for students to network, learn and develop beyond campus, and highlights our commitment to student development at the Student Recreation Center.”

Martinez, 22, just finished his first year of the MPA program at CSUB, after earning a bachelor’s in kinesiology with a concentration in physical activity leadership. He works about 20 hours a week as the graduate student manager of facilities and member services, a position that will help him represent NIRSA’s Region 6, which covers the West Coast. He began his term in the spring and will serve until spring of 2023.

“I was completely shocked,” he said of learning that his application to join the influential board was successful. “I love campus recreation, so I wanted to take a leadership in NIRSA, and felt that was the next stop.”

O’Mahoney is excited to see what Martinez accomplishes for CSUB and the entire West Coast region.

“Raf is something special,” she said. “He is one of the most optimistic and positive students I have had the pleasure to work with, and I’ve been doing this over 30 years. He is always open to learning things and taking on new challenges. I look forward to seeing all he is going to accomplish as a leader.”

Martinez has already begun his work on behalf of NIRSA, meeting with other leaders in Pittsburgh in March to plan the national convention, which will take place next spring.

“It was just amazing to represent California State University, Bakersfield," he said. "To put the spotlight on CSUB is what I was excited about. I love my university.”

The mission of NIRSA is simple, Martinez said: to improve the quality of life for students.

“Essentially, I will be able to implement new strategies, new opportunities and working with other universities, I will be able to make it a more cohesive region,” he said.

Martinez noted that like all SRCs in the nation, CSUB’s recreation center is continuing to emerge from the pandemic, which limited in-person use of the facilities.

“During the pandemic, from a staff perspective, not being able to go in there every day and do what you love was hard for us,” he said. “Not having students on campus and not having the SRC as a resource to alleviate stress and as a part of your everyday life was devastating for students. Finally, a year and a half after we closed, we opened back up.”

As part of the return to normalcy, the SRC recently announced that eligibility for memberships and day passes has been expanded to the general public, including faculty, staff, alumni and more. O’Mahoney noted that the SRC offers packages to work around members’ hectic lives, including early-bird hours, lunch, happy hour and more.

“We also have free track memberships for the summer where faculty, staff and students not enrolled in summer school can come and use the track between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.,” she said.

And in response to student requests, the SRC is transforming a room in the SRC to a wellness suite that will feature massage chairs, meditation space, wellness coaching, nap pods and activities and events to help students learn and practice wellbeing. The project was made possible with grant funding, and Martinez said a soft opening is planned before the start of the fall semester.

The success of the SRC, which opened in 2009, allows Martinez to share CSUB’s best practices with other universities in the NIRSA region and beyond, while he keeps his ears open for good ideas from others.

“We’re always looking to improve the SRC any way we can,” he said. “One of my goals as the NIRSA student representative is to provide more professional development for campus recreation student staff. Another goal is to make sure the entire region, all the students, are a lot more connected.”

As for CSUB students who have never used the SRC, Martinez has a sales pitch ready:

“I tell them the SRC has something for everybody. You’re going to realize the moment you step into our facility that our staff is always ready and eager to show you what we offer," he said. "As a student, your main priority is academics. But to be physically active and mentally in a good state is just as important as your on-paper success. We pride ourselves in that at the SRC, to destress and focus on physical and mental wellness. A healthy balance is really important. It’s hard to succeed otherwise.”