Recreation Professional
Kaleb Ode
QUOTE OF THE PAGE
What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?
-The Cat Empire - No Longer There
WWU Recreation Program
The Recreation Program at Western Washington University is firmly based around a philosophy of social justice. As a graduate of the program it is my responsibility to remove the barriers to recreation present in the world without taking away risks that are inherent to the activity.
The Recreation Program features an innovative phased curriculum. Known as "The Phase," it is a four-part sequence of courses which students enter in the spring and finish the fall of their senior year. Approximately 60 students enter and complete the four blocks of phases together. This means that while you may get to know someone very well in other majors, as a "Phaser" you become a member of a supportive community of fellow students, faculty, and alumni. Since most students do not take other classes during a Phase this also allows students to participate in overnight retreats, field experiences, and professional conferences.
By Phase II Phasers are asked to select a concentration area from Therapeutic, Tourism, Outdoor, and Community Recreation. While there are opportunities to switch throughout the program this decision, and the specialized classes that go with that decision, help prepare Phasers for their desired future.
 Phase IV Group PicturePerhaps one of the last pictures we will get to take all together, the Recreation Program creates a unique family from each group that passes through. Now we are all on to Phase V (aka The Real World). |  Phase IV VideoTo conclude the Recreation Program the outgoing Phase has a celebratory banquet accompanied by an auction where the proceeds go towards helping future Phasers pay for the program. This is a snipped from the video that ended the banquet. |  Rec End.JPG |
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 REC Start.JPG |  Rec Beginning.JPG |  Camp TEAM 2.JPG |
 Camp TEAM.JPG |  LNT Trip.JPG |  Outdoor Rec.JPG |
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As a requirement for the program all Phasers must complete an Internship during Phase III. This can be completed during the Spring or Summer Quarter before Phase IV. It is up to the student to find an organization the fits their wants and needs as a growing professional.
The Recreation Program at Western Washington Univeristy has been accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT) since 1986.
As a graduate of the program I am now in what we Phasers refer to as Phase V.