Wellness Wednesdays Offer Students Advice

08/20/2010 

SUNY Cortland will host the Fall 2010 “Wellness Wednesday Series” featuring speakers, exhibits, self-help workshops and other programs intended to help students adjust to college life.

Sponsored by the Health Promotion Office and the Student Development Center, the series will take place each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, unless otherwise noted. The events are free and open to the public.

On Sept. 1, Louise Mahar, the College’s assistant director, recreational sports for fitness, will offer “A Non-Threatening Introduction to Yoga.” Participants will experience a beginner-level yoga class and should dress in loose, comfortable clothing and bring a towel.

On Sept. 8, two SUNY Cortland student affairs representatives will discuss “So You’re in College: Now What?” Michael Holland, assistant to the vice president for student affairs, and Shelia Dai, assistant director of counseling and student development, will address issues for first-year and transfer students, such as residence hall living, partying, homesickness, new relationships and peer pressure.

On Sept. 15, participants can “Walk the Walk of Student Services” at an open house from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Van Hoesen Hall and Corey Union. Visitors will be able to meet the student services staff and view the facilities of the University Police Department, student health services, counseling, student disability services, health promotion, substance abuse prevention and education, career services, residence life and housing, Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP), Emergency Squad, Tomik Fitness Facility and recreational sports, as well as Auxiliary Services Corporation and nutritional services. Staff from the Vice President for Student Affairs, Multicultural Life and Campus Activities offices will meet students in the Corey Union lobby. Refreshments will be served and prizes raffled.

Mike “Greeny” Green, president of Collegiate Consultants on Drugs and Alcohol and a national presenter, will discuss “The Four Stages of Drinking” at 8 p.m. on Sept. 22 in Old Main Brown Auditorium. Green shares his take on the four stages of drinking and how even the “one night problem” can have a lifetime of consequences. Green’s background as an athlete, coach, educator and recovering alcoholic provide him with the know-how to help students create a low-risk relationship with alcohol.

The College will offer a hands-on demonstration of the rape aggression defense (RAD) system on Sept. 29. Titled “It’s Totally RAD!” the workshop of self-defense techniques designed for awareness, prevention and risk reduction takes place in the Corey Union Function Room. The trainers will include members of the University Police Department, Cortland Against All Rape (CARR) and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Committee. Participants should wear workout clothes and sneakers.

On Oct. 6, a panel of faculty, students and community members will focus on “Someone You Know is Gay. Does It Really Matter?” The panelists include: Kathryn Coffey, SUNY Cortland assistant professor of health; and Vicki Wilkins, SUNY Cortland professor of recreation, parks and leisure studies. The discussion is intended to increase an awareness and understanding of how everyone is impacted by diversity in human sexual orientation and gender identity.

The opening event in “Building a Multicultural Community One Word at a Time” will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7, in Corey Union.

The Southern Tier AIDS Program will offer a presentation titled “Living With HIV” on Oct. 13. An  individual who has HIV will offer a personal story on living daily with this disease.

Mary Dykeman, public health educator at the Jacobus Center for Reproductive Health, will give a talk on “Magical Thinking” on Oct. 20. Dykeman, acting the role as “Your Fairy Godmother,” will explain how magical thinking prevents students from making safe, healthy decisions when it comes to sex.

College Physician Devin Coppola will address “Avian Flu, SARS, MRSA, Swine Flu … What’s Next?  How Do I Keep from Getting It?” on Oct. 27.

The Nov. 3 program, titled “The Hidden Addiction,” will feature two presenters on the subject of gambling addiction. Lori Mulligan, a community problem gambling prevention educator with Family Counseling Services, will discuss problem gambling. Joyce Barrett, featured as a "spotlight story" spokesperson for the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) campaign, “Your Story Matters,” will offer her real-life story of a woman who beat the odds.

On Nov. 10, Louise Whittleton, a registered dietician for Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC), will discuss “What About Supplements?” Her talk will address the impact of dietary supplements on fitness, sport and wellness.

On Nov. 17, the campus and community are invited to take part in the “Great American Smoke Out - Go Cold Turkey” from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the first floor of Corey Union. Health promotion interns will be available to help individuals sign the pledge on Wednesday to quit for the day on Thursday. Health Promotion and Colleges for Change are hosting this event.

For more information or accommodation to attend an event, contact Catherine Smith, the College’s health educator, in Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-1, or at (607) 753-2066 or catherine.smith@cortland.edu.