Safety and Risk Management Goes Public

After historically only training student employees, Rec Sports’ Safety and Risk Management program is opening its doors to the whole community with a new set of public certification courses and a brand new webpage to showcase offerings.

The change reflects both program growth and broader demand, according to the Director of Safety and Risk Management, CJ Stancheski.

“While Rec Sports employees are the primary participants, the reach of the program is starting to get broader,” he said. “We’ve incorporated additional opportunities for individuals to get certified and trained in first aid/CPR/AED. We work with Texas A&M Sport Clubs to provide opportunities for officers and members to get trained. We’ve also introduced an Adult & Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED course for members of the Bryan-College Station and Texas A&M community.”

External participants now have access to certifications right at their fingertips. Students and community members can take the course on campus and get the training they need for various jobs and academic programs.

“I signed up because it’s a requirement for my research lab,” aerospace engineering graduate student Dave Laygo said. “We work and do experiments in the human clinical research facility. The research we do involves human subjects, so in the case that something happens, we just need to be ready.”

The blended learning structure presented in the course makes the material accessible and easier to understand, whether for internal employees or external participants.

“We had to take an online course ahead of time, so that when we came into the actual course, we were ready to do all the hands-on stuff,” Laygo said. “No time was wasted. And then in terms of the actual in-person lecture, the instructors would give the demo for us and then we would do it and receive immediate feedback, which was really nice.”

For instructors, publicly available courses means more reach and a new level of material. Community members who are trained are considered lay responders, or individuals not in a medical profession or field, unlike lifeguards or other certified employees who received internal training.

“I think it’s definitely the natural step forward now that we’ve got a lot of the processes for our own staff down here at the Rec,” instructor Blue Buchanan ’27 said. “It is a different course than what we were teaching to our staff. We’re teaching the community course, or lay responder course. Coming into it is a bit like learning how to explain everything to people a little bit different, not going into as much detail.”

But even though the material is presented in a different way, the importance is the same. The new web page and open course registration mean more basic safety training in the community.

“It’s a great course for everyone,” Buchanan said. “I think everyone should have a basic idea of CPR/first aid. There’s like choking and bleeding that we go over, and I think you probably end up using one of those in your life at some point. Just having an idea and being more comfortable and confident is a really good thing.”

That confidence is the heart of Safety & Risk Management, and exactly what every course and offering works to strengthen.

“Employees are trained not only to respond in emergencies but also to recognize and help prevent them, helping reduce risks in all Rec Sports facilities,” Stancheski said. “This proactive approach means Rec Sports employees are prepared to assist anyone who may experience a medical incident, injury, or emergency on-site.”

As courses continue throughout the fall semester, Rec Sports hopes to extend that preparedness to all participants. And as the Safety & Risk Management program grows, so will the offerings.

“We hope in the future to provide additional certification opportunities to expand our course offerings,” Stancheski said.

Until then, Adult & Pediatric first aid/CPR/AED blended learning courses are open for registration through November 13. Sign up online or visit the Safety & Risk Management webpage for more information.