Being a majority commuter school, Queens College has suffered from a large lack of extracurricular and other similar activities to foster engagement and a sense of community and belonging on campus. The lack of extracurriculars can be seen primarily through the existence of no intramural sports club or association, which we believe to be central to improving campus life.

While Queens College does have some formal athletic divisions, there is a distinct lack of similar groups for internal competition, as opposed to the more formal landscape that the college now supports. With an already small amount of clubs and groups being compounded by a lack of student housing on campus, accommodating only about five hundred of the sixteen thousand students on campus, it becomes clear that campus life cannot improve without changes being made to how extracurricular programs, particularly in a field as accessible as recreational athletics function.

Many college sports and other formal sports organizations are semi-professional and have a certain skill threshold that must be met in order to participate, leading to a large number of students being unable to continue participating in the sport. There are countless personal stories of people being unable to continue with sports they were engaged in previously, with some being relevant to members of our group. Mehedi, for example, played soccer for his high school team, and this helped him connect with his school community in a deeper and more meaningful way. However, Queens College, due to the lack of organizations doesn’t help foster that same connection. Daniel similarly played soccer recreationally before and partially during high school, however, a lack of such programs forced him to stop participating, and Queens College’s deficit of intramural programs mirrors that of his high school’s. Joey as well, played soccer for his high school and a club team. He made many friends during his time playing. However for college it wasn’t realistic to play because the team is to much of a commitment but if Queens had a intramural team he would join.

In a study conducted with the Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, it was found that participation in intercollegiate athletics programs led to a direct 13.6% increase in retention rates among students, as well as large increases in retention from the use of general recreational facilities, especially among first-generation students and students with low GPAs, two groups that have traditionally had lower retention rates. Additionally, it was found that more credits are taken by students who participate in intercollegiate and intramural sports, leading to not only a more healthy and diverse student body being retained by the campus, but more successful students overall without them feeling forced to transfer out for a better experience.

The lack of such programs at Queens College, particularly intramural sports results in a less inclusive and active campus life, affecting not only those who live on campus, but also students who feel driven to transfer out or who feel that they do not have a place to fit in, and we believe that through our solution, intramural sports can become a central part of Queens College campus life. In another study, by Chelsea A. C. Phipps, it was found that there is a strong correlation between the length of intramural sports participation and a heightened sense of community. The correlation is even stronger for freshmen as they are in a new environment and intramural sports allow them to find a community or people that they can relate to.

Research Question: How would implementing intramural recreational sports programs enhance student engagement, community, and retention at Queens College in a meaningful and fiscally realistic manner?