How the Drexel Rec Center Lined Up ‘The Balanced Project’

Julia Golkin, a health sciences and health administration major in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, loves the Rec Center because it helps her so she can "just de-stress and can zone out with my music and just take some time for myself."

It’s obvious to see how the Drexel Recreation Center gives Dragons a space on campus to work on their physical health — but what about their mental and emotional well-being? A new online campaign shows how the Rec Center does just that, enabling students to achieve a well-balanced mind, body and spirit.

“The Balanced Project” features images of Drexel students from different majors, backgrounds and genders working on their physical and mental fitness in the University City Campus facility. The students are shown dressed for their future profession (like a nurse’s uniform or a business suit), while using Rec Center equipment like weights or the treadmill. The purpose of these pictures, and the campaign itself, is to show how the Rec Center can help students achieve their physical and professional goals.

“The Balanced campaign began as a fun idea to get students, in their field of study attire, inside the Rec Center and have pictures taken, as a very surface-level type of campaign,” said Manager of Sales and Marketing Andrew Case, who works at the Drexel Recreation Center for the Drexel Athletics Department. “What started out as an entertaining concept started to snowball into this unique idea that I believe will serve as a roadmap to all who are looking to achieve a well-balanced lifestyle on campus.”

The striking photos, which were shot by Ryan Mack, an undergraduate animation and visual effects major in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, are accompanied by text describing who the students are and why they go to the Rec Center — in their own words. The students answered questions about their current major, their future professional career goal, their reasons for enjoying the Rec Center, ways in which the Rec Center helps them achieve a balanced lifestyle and what advice they would give to those unfamiliar with the Rec Center in terms of what it can do to help with busy schedules.

“Every student had a different story to tell, different majors and different goals, but what they all had in common was a love for the Rec Center,” said Case. “We feel that this campaign will allow students to connect with other students that have similar interests, majors and backgrounds because even though we are all different, we are all Dragons.” 

Drexel University Recreational Athletics hope to continue the theme in a future version of the campaign showing how the Rec Center helps the University’s faculty and professional staff members.

“At the Drexel Recreation Center, our mission is to promote healthy, active lifestyles to the Drexel community by fostering a culture committed to engagement, experiential learning and diverse programs,” said Case. “We believe the Balanced Project will assist in our efforts to communicate Recreational Athletics’ values to the Drexel community through our persistence to ensure the facility and our services are designed to create an environment that promotes personal success for our students, staff and members.”

Drexel University Recreational Athletics is looking to continue the Balanced Project and they would like to ask any/all faculty or staff at Drexel who have a story to tell about how the Recreation Center helps them maintain a balanced lifestyle as a busy professional on campus. If you’re interested in being a part of the campaign, email Andrew Case at anc68@drexel.edu to set up a photo shoot and interview.