By: Enrique Teran
As we walk out of a bar into oblivion, we wake up the next morning wanting to have more fun. However, we ponder the question, where can I go with my leisure time during the day to get away from the stress of having a quiz that day or trying to comprehend your foreign T.A.? There is a convenient spot right in the heart of campus called the Illini Rec Room.
Now, it seems that we all pass the Rec Room coming in and out of the Illini Union without actually stepping into the room and exploring the leisure services they offer. Established in 1961, the Rec Room began only as a bowling alley for students to enjoy during their leisure time. As the years went on, they began to expand the Rec Room into more than just a bowling alley. In the past 5 years, the Rec Room went in a $50,000 renovation into moving in the billiards table; provide a concession stand, arcade, and video games. In order to have room for all these amenities, they had to remove 6 bowling lanes. From T.V.’s, trivia, couches, bowling, billiards, arcades, and concession stand, there is something for everyone at the Illini Rec Room.
Speaking with one of the managers,
Mr. 
Brinkmeyer, he was able to discuss with me what the Rec Room’s main focal point, which is the students of the U of I. He has been at the Illini Rec Room since February and since he sees changes in the room every month. He was in the liquor and golf industries before transferring into leisure services. He mentioned how being attached to the University gives the Rec Room a different focus than most leisure services. The Illini Rec Room caters to the needs of students under the age of 21individuals not in the University.
Mr. Brinkmeyer continued the interview by discussing how the Rec Room meets individual’s needs by accommodating the services offer to the individual. For example, the first 6 lanes have bumpers, designed for students requesting bumpers and for the handicapped. The T.V.’s also accommodate the majority of students. A lot of the U of I’s students are international students and soccer being the sport with
the largest fan 
base in the world, GOL TV is on the televisions at the Rec Room.
Many students might be interested in working at the Rec Room, so I asked him about employment opportunities in the Rec Room and he commented that to apply, one must apply with the Illini Union. If your schedule meets the slot they need help in, an interview is made. Once there for 6 months, 15 hrs a week, one can move up from just an attendant to overseeing the Rec Room. They even offer a grad student internship in the spring.
Now that I have described the services the Illini Rec Room offers, many believe that it can get quite expensive. However, this is not the case. With your Illini Card, one can play an hour of billiards for $5.60, bowl a game for $3.30, and have fun on the arcade for dollars. They are even open late to accommodate those students who finish their homework and looking for something to do at night.
I finished my interview by asking Mr. Brinkmeyer what the word leisure means to him. His response was, “Leisure is mental preparation and focus to get away from work; anything that takes you away from that ‘box’”. After visiting this facility, I am impressed with the way it was managed and how there is always room to better the facility. I believe working there would be fun because you are offering students the opportunity to have fun and enjoy themselves. However, one of the big issues the advancement opportunities in the facility. There is a ceiling that once you top that ceiling, you can’t advance further in the facility. Only good thing is having that experience can land you a job with bigger responsibilities and more commitment. The agency definitely fits the description of a leisure service. The name says it all; being able to get away from school work to have fun in a safe environment. The services it offers really fits the description of getting away from it all, without resorting to the dangers of alcohol and bars. I know that speaking and understanding more about the Illini Rec Room really makes me admire it and realize that the cost of being there for an hour is a lot cheaper than going to a bar for an hour.
Now, it seems that we all pass the Rec Room coming in and out of the Illini Union without actually stepping into the room and exploring the leisure services they offer. Established in 1961, the Rec Room began only as a bowling alley for students to enjoy during their leisure time. As the years went on, they began to expand the Rec Room into more than just a bowling alley. In the past 5 years, the Rec Room went in a $50,000 renovation into moving in the billiards table; provide a concession stand, arcade, and video games. In order to have room for all these amenities, they had to remove 6 bowling lanes. From T.V.’s, trivia, couches, bowling, billiards, arcades, and concession stand, there is something for everyone at the Illini Rec Room.
Speaking with one of the managers,
Mr. 
Brinkmeyer, he was able to discuss with me what the Rec Room’s main focal point, which is the students of the U of I. He has been at the Illini Rec Room since February and since he sees changes in the room every month. He was in the liquor and golf industries before transferring into leisure services. He mentioned how being attached to the University gives the Rec Room a different focus than most leisure services. The Illini Rec Room caters to the needs of students under the age of 21individuals not in the University.Mr. Brinkmeyer continued the interview by discussing how the Rec Room meets individual’s needs by accommodating the services offer to the individual. For example, the first 6 lanes have bumpers, designed for students requesting bumpers and for the handicapped. The T.V.’s also accommodate the majority of students. A lot of the U of I’s students are international students and soccer being the sport with
the largest fan 
base in the world, GOL TV is on the televisions at the Rec Room.Many students might be interested in working at the Rec Room, so I asked him about employment opportunities in the Rec Room and he commented that to apply, one must apply with the Illini Union. If your schedule meets the slot they need help in, an interview is made. Once there for 6 months, 15 hrs a week, one can move up from just an attendant to overseeing the Rec Room. They even offer a grad student internship in the spring.
Now that I have described the services the Illini Rec Room offers, many believe that it can get quite expensive. However, this is not the case. With your Illini Card, one can play an hour of billiards for $5.60, bowl a game for $3.30, and have fun on the arcade for dollars. They are even open late to accommodate those students who finish their homework and looking for something to do at night.
I finished my interview by asking Mr. Brinkmeyer what the word leisure means to him. His response was, “Leisure is mental preparation and focus to get away from work; anything that takes you away from that ‘box’”. After visiting this facility, I am impressed with the way it was managed and how there is always room to better the facility. I believe working there would be fun because you are offering students the opportunity to have fun and enjoy themselves. However, one of the big issues the advancement opportunities in the facility. There is a ceiling that once you top that ceiling, you can’t advance further in the facility. Only good thing is having that experience can land you a job with bigger responsibilities and more commitment. The agency definitely fits the description of a leisure service. The name says it all; being able to get away from school work to have fun in a safe environment. The services it offers really fits the description of getting away from it all, without resorting to the dangers of alcohol and bars. I know that speaking and understanding more about the Illini Rec Room really makes me admire it and realize that the cost of being there for an hour is a lot cheaper than going to a bar for an hour.
E,
ReplyDeletecool post. I wouldn't have thought about the Union Rec Room. My question to you is what type of sponsoring agency does this agency fit into? Its not public recreation really, nor commercial or non-profit. I doesn't really fit squarely into the campus recreation genre either. What do you think?
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