The types of campus recreation will differ depending on the school where the recreation programs were created. Athletic activities and facilities, such as fitness centers and basketball courts, are common in campus recreation programs; however, other campus recreation activities, such as clubs and volunteer organizations, may branch out beyond athletics. Intramural sports, in which men and women compete against other intramural clubs in the area, are popular among students because they are enjoyable and competitive. Campus entertainment is often classified as recreation and includes clubs that host dances, film screenings, carnivals, and other on-campus and off-campus events.
The sports that are available for campus recreation are frequently determined by the school’s facilities. Many larger schools will have comprehensive athletic facilities that can accommodate all major sports as well as rarer sports, whereas smaller colleges and universities may be limited to a smaller number of activities. For campus recreation, students have access to tennis courts, racquetball courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, hockey rinks, volleyball courts, and a variety of other facilities. Rock climbing walls, roller hockey courts, high ropes courses, and other types of less popular or common sports are examples of less common facilities.
On college campuses, fitness centers are common, and many will charge a campus recreation fee to use the facility. The size of the fitness center varies, but most have a variety of exercise machines, free weights, treadmills, and other cardio equipment. Depending on the size and budget of the school, a physical therapy program may or may not be associated with the fitness center. These fitness centers are usually separate from the training centers that college athletes use during varsity competition, in order to avoid overcrowding and overuse of the fitness center’s equipment.
Recreational clubs are frequently classified as part of campus recreation, and the types of clubs available vary by institution. These clubs are run by students, and the topic of the club can be determined by the students who initiate it. Fencing clubs, reading clubs, writing clubs, hiking clubs, conservation clubs, and volunteer clubs are all popular. Participants in these clubs focus on volunteering their time and services to various charitable causes. Depending on the size of the school and available budget money set aside for such activities, funding for such clubs may be limited or non-existent.