Outdoor Recreation with Major Fun Hour

written by Olivia Moran Williams, Student Employee

Every Thursday the School of Community Resources and Development (SCRD) hosts Parks, Recreation and Sport Management Major Fun Hour in the Civic Space Park on the Downtown Phoenix campus from noon to 1 p.m. 

The hour is dedicated to bringing the ASU Downtown Phoenix community together while also advertising the parks, recreation and sport management programs and showing people the often overlooked aspects of them. 

The Parks, Recreation and Sport Management degree offers students a chance to explore the natural world while also giving them the opportunity to enhance their management skills and apply their knowledge to real world situations. 

“Even though we are a real profession, we want to center that aspect of fun,” Steve Sassaman, assistant professor in SCRD said. 

Major Fun Hour focuses on the outdoor aspect of the programs by highlighting an often underused space on the Downtown campus. The event helps students and staff find the beauty in an outdoor environment while also being in the middle of a city. 

Between classes, internships, jobs, and the normal hassle of day to day life, students often overlook play and fun. 

Along with their degree programs, faculty, staff and students also use Major Fun Hour to highlight their immersive outdoor experiences called PRM 294: Outdoor Adventure Lab. These outdoor experiences are either one weekend long or two Fridays long, and they count for one class credit. 

During these experiences you can learn different outdoor skills such as kayaking, hiking, rocking climbing, etc. 

“Were trying to make these types of experiences as accessible  as possible for everybody.” Sassaman said.

These classes offer an easy credit opportunity while also not having the same amount of stress as a semester long course. Since these classes are offered to all ASU students, they offer a great chance for students to destress and get outside more than they usually do. 

Turn fun into a career, major in Parks, Recreation and Sport Management!