Mar. 1 , 2007

Student Wellness Program a success
Amelia Bitely
arb001@marietta.edu

For every student who wants to get off of the couch and onto the treadmill, student body president Lauren Thompson wants to provide some extra incentive.

She explains that the new Student Wellness Program helps MC students either to “begin or continue a healthy lifestyle by tracking their workouts and gaining points that will add up to prizes both at mid-semester and at the end of the year.” Although the program has limited funding, students are nonetheless beginning to hit the gym.

The Student Wellness Program was inspired by the successful Faculty Wellness Program, which was launched this fall—Thompson explained that a trustee first suggested that the school should have a similar program for students, and the Student Wellness Program became a reality this spring.

For interested would-be studs and studettes, the process of signing up is surprisingly simple. At the front desk of the Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center (DBRC), students can register for the program and start recording workouts—and accumulating points for prizes. One hour of exercise is worth two points; participation in varsity athletics is worth twenty points; participation in an intramural sport, a fitness class such as yoga or kickboxing, or a one-credit physical education class such as the golf class will all earn ten points.

At the end of the semester, for every twenty points that students earn, they will get one raffle ticket into a drawing for fitness-related prizes such as yoga mats and George Foreman grills. Participants will also get draw-string bags to carry their fitness gear.

In addition to the ongoing points system, the Student Wellness Program also plans to host several events to get students interested in joining.

Today, members will get a free Sobe fitness water at lunch, and sign-ups for the program will be held in upper Gilman. On March 21, the Student Wellness Program will also sponsor “Wellness Wednesday” at Gilman to promote healthy habits at the table and to encourage sign-ups.

The program, though, has struggled under several constraints as it attempts to expand the project. Unlike the Faculty Wellness Program, the Student Wellness Program has both less administrative funding and less experience; therefore, the Student Senate “concerns committee” that supervises it has had to watch its finances carefully.

The program does not yet have enough financial support to fund speakers, a Weight Watchers connection, or more prizes for participants, although Thompson hopes that the program will not only expand but become “a college-wide tradition” in the years to come.

Another challenge facing the Student Wellness Program is that Thompson, its current leader, will graduate this year. When she leaves, she hopes that the program will become the responsibility of a member of the Student Senate Executive Board.

Despite these few stumbling blocks, the program has seen considerable student interest. Currently, over 250 students have signed up, and 85% of these students have remained with the program; whether they frequently make that long dash from the bed to the exercise bike, though, is yet to be seen.