NMU Rec Sports

Attending Wildcat Kids or Tween Camp this summer?

Stop by the Open House today from 4pm-5:30pm in the PEIF Dance Studio. Meet the staff, tour the facilities, complete paperwork and get excited about camp!!

Meet Natalie!
She’s the first student featured in our Summer Employee Spotlight Series. Swipe to learn more about what she does at NMU Rec, her involvement with club sports, and her favorite part of working here. ☀️

Summer is here, and with the extended forecast showing increased temperatures we wanted to remind our patrons and guests of our heat safety operating guidelines.

We're excited to be recognized for the creation of one of our newest programs! We are proud to be a department that is constantly evolving, trying new ideas, and making a positive impact through recreation and wellness.

Innovative campus recreation programming doesn't always require extensive resources — sometimes it starts with a single idea and the willingness to try something new. 💡

After a particularly harsh winter raised concerns about student engagement, the three-person Recreational Sports team at Northern Michigan University (NMU) developed a new wellness experience: floating sound therapy. What followed was a fully booked program, immediate word-of-mouth momentum and a model small teams can learn from.

In our latest web story, explore the range of planning considerations that made it possible — from sourcing a qualified sound therapist in a rural region and managing facility acoustics to building a risk management framework that kept the experience both safe and seamless.

For campus rec professionals looking to expand their wellness offerings beyond traditional fitness programming, NMU's program showcases what creative problem-solving and planning can produce. Read it now on our website!

NMU Rec Sports Announces Closure of Sauna Facilities

NMU Rec Sports will be permanently closing the sauna facilities located within the PEIF’s locker rooms, effective May 5, 2026.
This decision follows a comprehensive evaluation of the saunas’ operating and safety conditions. While the saunas have been a popular amenity, ongoing concerns and incidents related to them have made it increasingly difficult to ensure a safe, clean, and secure environment.
Over time, the saunas have experienced significant wear and now require extensive repairs estimated to cost $50,000 to $100,000. Northern has prioritized using any available rec sports funds toward maintaining and enhancing other core programs and spaces that have the potential to benefit a larger portion of the NMU student and campus community.
In addition, staff have responded to multiple health and safety incidents in the saunas, including medical emergencies and misuse of the space such as unauthorized access and inappropriate behavior.
NMU Rec Sports remains committed to offering a wide range of programs, services, and facilities that support the health and well-being of our campus community, and we’d be happy to review those with individuals, as needed.
We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we prioritize how to provide the most positive recreational sports experience for all.

Send a message to learn more

Reminder: The PEIF Rec Center and Pool will be closed for annual maintenance. Summer hours begin on Monday, May 11.
Our student and facilities staff are already hard at work with locker room cleaning and carpet removal/installation.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our very first sound bath!

We hope it gave you the chance to relax, reset, and de-stress before finals week✨

Wishing you all the best of luck—you’ve got this!

Wrapping up the semester with one of our favorite traditions—our Student Employee End-of-Year Awards 💚

We took time to celebrate an incredible group of student employees who truly are the heartbeat of our operations. From early mornings to late nights, behind the scenes and front-facing, they keep everything running and create the welcoming environment our patrons experience every day.

We also had the opportunity to recognize our graduating seniors and thank them for the lasting impact they’ve made on our department: (Caroline B., Aaron K., Kyle M., Aidan P., Kyler R., Isaiah S., Parker S., Roman W., Elyse W.)

To all of our student employees, those who received peer-nominated awards and our phenomenal group of assistants and managers: thank you. Your energy, passion, and care for this department are what make it so special. We couldn’t do it without you.

Thank you to all of our club sports teams, coaches and advisors for an incredible year and for helping us celebrate our Inaugural Club Sport Wildcat Awards last night.

Congrats and best of luck to all of our May graduates!