SAURG COMMUNICATIONS
Various communication vehicles were established including an email list, a website, and 2 facebook sites: an official one for the transition of official notifications to the membership, and the other as a means for members to share information with other members. Once the database was established, an electronic newsletter called Rec Connect was created as a means of starting to engage the membership with the Society, by sharing information related to the University, fellow graduates, and the work of the SAURG Board.
The inaugural issue of Rec Connect (Volume 1 Issue 1) was produced and distributed in March of 2013. In the issue, members were encouraged to submit material for inclusion in the following sections: alumni profiles-details on members that could be profiled as a means of getting to know one another; personals/updates such as recent awards, job changes, move to new location, etc.; details of resources (books, manuals, DVDs, training seminars…) that members have developed and think others might wish to access; details of any upcoming events that members think that others might be interested in knowing about; and reflections/recollections that would be appropriate to share related to experiences with the Acadia Recreation program. Other information contained in the 10 page newsletter included:
- How to Join SAURG.
- President’s Message
- Membership Data Base
- History of SAURG
- 2013 History Initiative Workshop and AGM
- Meet the Board of Directors
- 2012 Conference Update
- 2012 Reunion Update
- From the Office of Alumni Affairs
- Acadia Alumni Gala Dinner
- Major Changes in the Recreation Program
- From the School of Recreation Management and Kinesiology
- Reflections, Recollections, and Confessions of Acadia Rec Graduates
- Confessions… by Andrew Waters ’11
- Recollections of Spring Camp by Jude Hirsch ’77
- Reflections on the Texas Tour by Robin Norrie ‘86
- From the classroom to Yad Vashem by Eric MacKenzie ’06
In that first issue of the newsletter, it was reported that major changes were taking place in the Recreation Program…
Upon the recommendation of the School of Recreation Management and Kinesiology, the Senate of Acadia has approved significant curriculum changes to the program core, effective the 2012-2013 academic year. The changes, facilitated by recent retirements, reflect the interest and expertise of remaining faculty members. Required courses which have traditionally provided students with the foundations of the leisure studies discipline and the recreation profession have been replaced with ones which focus more on the practise of community development. More specifically, the following courses: Foundations of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Leisure Behaviour, Leisure in Society, and the History and Philosophy of Leisure have been removed from the core requirements and replaced with courses entitled Environmental and Sustainable Society; Sustainable Community Development; as well as Community Design and Active Living.
The June 2013 Rec Connect newsletter (Vol. 1 issue 2) reported…
At the February 11, 2013 meeting of the Senate of Acadia University, a motion was passed to change the name of Recreation Management and Community Development Degree to Bachelor of Community Development, thus eliminating Recreation Management.
The changes in the Acadia Recreation degree program had been the focus of considerable discussion at the 2012 AGM and Board deliberations that followed. Although it was determined that there was nothing that could be done to prevent the program from being replaced by one focused on Community Development, the Board wanted to at least make their feelings known.
The following exert was taken from a letter that SAURG President Carroll Randall wrote to the University President Ray Ivany:
The following exert was taken from a letter that SAURG President Carroll Randall wrote to the University President Ray Ivany:
At our AGM held on campus Convocation weekend, the recent changes related to the Recreation Management program reflecting a focus on community development and changes to the traditional recreation content was discussed at some length. As President of the Board, I was instructed by those assembled to write to you in order to express how deeply saddened we are with the changes and the virtual elimination of the core program that has served so many of us so well throughout our diverse careers, as witnessed at the conference last May. Community development has long been one approach used in the work of the recreation profession, and a positive outcome of such work, but it is only one aspect of the field. We believe that the professional recreation field shall be greatly diminished by these changes, and at a time when the societal need for quality recreation services to enhance the quality of life of so many has perhaps never been as great.
With the decision having been made to replace the Recreation degree program with one focused on Community Development, the importance of SAURG as a vehicle for maintaining connections between Recreation Graduates with one another and with the university was highlighted. At the 2013 AGM, a workshop was facilitated where participants discussed the viability of SAURG initiative designed to capture the 40 year history of the Acadia Recreation program. As a result, the SAURG Board committed to gathering, preserving, organizing and disseminating information about the 40 past years.
The 1(3) issue of Rec Connect focused on back to school with two feature items with the first was an identification of Acadia Rec Graduates who had gone on to earn doctorates and who were professors at universities throughout North America which included the following:
The second feature included profiles of Acadia Rec Graduates who were working in a broad range of departments across the Acadia campus. This was in an attempt for alumni to get to know about the work of fellow alumni, in university settings. Each of the following was asked to provided detailed responses to a particular question.
- Aggie Weighill (U Alberta) currently teaches at Vancouver Island University
- Brenda Robertson (U Oregon) retired from Acadia U
- Charlene Shannon (U Waterloo) currently teaching at UNB
- Cynthia Stacey (U Ottawa) currently teaching at UNB
- George Karlis (Michigan State) currently teaches at U Ottawa
- Jackie Oncescu (U Ottawa) currently teaches at U Manitoba
- Jessica Barrie (U California) teaches at Albuquerque Academy
- Jude Hirsch (UBC) currently teaches at Georgia State College & University
- Kelly MacKay (Texas A&M) currently teaches at Ryerson
- Leah Levac (UNB) currently teaches at U Guelph
- Ron McCarville (Texas A&M) currently teaches at U Waterloo
- Sheila Backman (Texas A&M) currently teaching at Clemson
- Tom Delamere (U Alberta) Currently teaching at Vancouver Island University
- Wanda George (U Guelph) currently teaches at Mount Saint Vincent University
The second feature included profiles of Acadia Rec Graduates who were working in a broad range of departments across the Acadia campus. This was in an attempt for alumni to get to know about the work of fellow alumni, in university settings. Each of the following was asked to provided detailed responses to a particular question.
- Nicole Weisner (Phipps) '08, Coordinator, Events & Hospitality-What is the nature of the special events hosted on campus involving the external community and in your opinion, of what value are such events to the Acadia Community?
- Mary Sweatman ’03, Lecturer-What is it like to return to Acadia to teach students in the program that you took as a student?
- James Sanford ’87, Senior Director, Student Affairs-From your perspective, what unique challenges do first year students at Acadia face in 2013 that are different from previous generations.
- Andrew Waters ’10, Enrollment Office-What are the factors that are most important to high school students today as they contemplate whether to attend university and if so to what institution they will make apply?
- Rachel Houlton, Senior Student, University Farm-What is the Acadia Farm and why is it important to the Acadia community?
- Tom Dalmazzi ’12, Community Development Facilitator, ACSBE-What is ACSBE and why is it important to the Acadia Community?
- Michael Chiasson ’11, Assistant coach for the Acadia men's hockey program-What has it been like to return to Acadia in a coaching role after having done your degree here and played on the varsity team?
The focus of the 2(1) Rec Connect (January 2014) was on sport, with the world focused upon the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi. With sport playing such a major role in the overall field of recreation, and with so many Rec alumni working in sport, it seemed a fitting theme. In addition to 3 featured articles, profiles of 11 alumni working in diverse aspects of sport were presented. The contents included the following:
A Father’s Legacy by Dr. Charlene McCallum-Shannon ‘96
Perspectives of an Olympian by Prof. Ann Dodge ‘91
Gender Equity in Sport: Is it an Elusive Dream?
Reflections for Acadia Recreation Graduates engaged in Sport
- Adrian Dutchak ’10, Assistant Football Coach at York University
- Amy Duncan, ’04 Executive Director of Curl PEI
- Andy Callaghan, ’98, Recreation Therapy Associate with the N S Rehab Centre
- Anitra (Dagley) Stevens, ‘98 Executive Director with Athletics Nova Scotia
- Christopher Miller ’08, Sport Manager with the Halifax Sport & Social Club
- Colin Gillis. ’09, Youth Leadership Program Coordinator with Sport NS
- Deanna Schaper-kotter ’12, Athlete in Legends Football League
- Hillary Campbell ’04, National Director of Stadium Operations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015
- Margaret Tibbo (Muggs), 1977, Recreation Specialist/Clinical Leader Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre, St. John’s, NL
- Milan Dragicevic ’94, Head Coach of UBC Men’s Hockey team
- Nicole (Larade) Kenney ’10, Community Sport Development Coordinator with Sport NS in partnership with Health and Wellness for the South Shore Region
By 2014, the priorities for the SAURG Board were to capture the history of the Acadia Recreation Program and to engage a greater number of members. Despite its wide circulation, for the energy put into preparation of the newsletter, it was not widely engaging the membership. Therefore, effort was redirected to development of the website and the facebook sites, preparing regular updates for distribution through the email list, writing pieces for the Acadia Alumni Bulletin, as well as creating initiatives that would bring the membership together.