A Busy Month for Health and Wellness 3-29-2011

by Trey Bailey

  

 If March wasn’t a busy month for the student health and wellness group at WVU Parkersburg, then April surely will be.

    The group is back at work again trying to attack different health issues head on. 

    Last year the group tried to help with such issues as substance abuse, breast cancer awareness and domestic violence.  This year the group is supporting the fight against tobacco use.  The CDC, Center for Disease Control, estimates that one of every five deaths can be attributed to tobacco use.  

  On March 4 the wellness group took a trip to the state Capitol where Pamela Santer, who oversees the group, and other student members set up a booth displaying the harmful and unhealthy use of tobacco products such as cigarettes.

    The group didn’t only have handouts ready to be passed out but also had more visual examples of student activities against tobacco.  One example on display was the 10,000 or more cigarette butts that were picked up in less than 45 minutes around campus last semester. 

    On April 20, WVU Parkersburg’s student health and wellness group will be celebrating Earth Day 2011.  Santer and the group plan to have a booth set up with recyclable hats and reusable shopping bags.

    The same day will include open invites for volunteers to sign up to help plant 300 trees around campus.  People can sign up, but the planting will not occur the same day.  The trees will be planted along the walking trail behind campus.

    On April 28, the health and wellness group, in conjunction with the SEA, student engagement activities, will be participating in  a “Be Well Day” for choosing healthy lifestyles.  Booths will be showing information on health issues, but as an added bonus there will be colorful ribbons representing pink for breast cancer, purple for domestic violence and other ribbon representations.

    Students and faculty are invited to participate in a parade that day which will take place on the walking path behind WVU Parkersburg.  Participants are encouraged to dress up and have some sort of small-scale float by wheel barrel, wagon or other. The “float” should represent some theme on choosing a healthy lifestyle or disease prevention.  The winner for the best “float” will be awarded $25 for whatever cause they choose to represent.

    Students can also receive a free Frisbee if they stop by the booth on April 28.  With 250 Frisbees, it will be first come, first served for a Frisbee.  However, everyone can join in Frisbee games that will be held throughout the day. 

    Santer is excited about the upcoming events.  “These are great activities for students to get together and do something good and not only do school work every day.”

    For any information on any student health and wellness group activities or anything health and fitness related, Santer’s office is located in room 1535.