College Offers Fall ‘Wellness’ Series for Campus, Community

08/25/2016 

In keeping with a College priority of well-being, each semester SUNY Cortland offers weekly encouragement to the campus and community to pursue a lifetime of good health.

The Fall 2016 “Wellness Wednesday Series” will feature events intended to motivate campus and community members to learn more about health and wellness.

Programs continue through the fall semester with topics including yoga and other self-help techniques; using social media to improve one’s future professional reputation; a discussion with a panel of LGBTQ allies; understanding the stages of drinking alcohol; and a panel on biomedical science careers.

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

• On Aug. 31, the College will offer a “Sampler of Health Self-Care Techniques” in the Corey Union Function Room. Campus and community members are invited to try yoga, mindfulness, reiki and other self-care techniques in an interactive demonstration. Leading the workshops are Lauren Herman, health educator; Robyn Forster, senior counselor; Kathryn Gallup, senior counselor; and Michele Gonzalez, associate professor. Participants should dress in loose, comfortable clothing and bring a mat or towel.
• On Sept. 7, participants have an opportunity to register to vote, learn about the candidates and join in social activities during an event titled “Major Key Alert! Your Vote Matters.” Available to help them will be interns from the Health Promotion Office and representatives from the Institute for Civic Engagement, League of Women Voters and the New York Public Interest Research Group. The activity will take place from noon to 3 p.m. in the Student Life Center lobby.
• It’s a new semester and a new you. But if you don’t know where to start, attend the “Simple Steps to Strong: A Physical and Educational Workout” seminar on Sept. 14. Get ready to move and learn with Meg Julian, a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and Eve Mascoli, assistant director of recreational sports for facilities and aquatics. Participants are advised to wear workout clothes and bring water.
• On Sept. 21, the College’s team of health promotion interns along with members of the Sexual Health Awareness Club and the Cortland County Health Department will staff “Safe Sex Fair” tables from noon to 3 p.m. in the Student Life Center lobby. The students assisting the Health Promotion Office will offer a grab bag of free male and female condoms and other sexual health items. Visitors also can learn about sexually transmitted disease and sexually transmitted infections — STDs/STIs — and pregnancy prevention.

  	Mike Green

• National presenter Mike “Greeny” Green, a prevention specialist in the area of drugs and alcohol, will discuss “The Four Stages of Drinking” on Sept. 28 in the Corey Union Function Room. Green will share his take on the four stages of drinking and how even the “one night problem” can have a lifetime of consequences. His background — as an athlete, coach, educator and recovering alcoholic 38 years sober — can be related to everyone in the audience, from non-drinkers to addicts to drinkers with “risky behaviors.”
• National motivational speaker and author Jullien “The Innerviewer” Gordon will empower his audience to maximize college and minimize debt at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 in Corey Union Function Room. In his presentation, titled “The Other 4.0 That Matters,” Gordon will share how he graduated from UCLA in three years and then built his personal, intellectual, social and financial capital to position himself to succeed. Gordon will reference his book, 101 Things To Do Before You Graduate. His pointers address career advancement, finding purpose, goal achievement and closing the college-to-career gap to help young professionals discover their life’s work and make their highest contribution to the world.
• On Oct. 12, a panel of students, faculty, staff and alumni will present “And Then I Met … ” Panelists will give a voice to allies of individuals of all sexualities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual.

  	Jullien Gordon

• Carolyn Bershad, director of counseling and student development, will offer tips and tools for building healthy relationships in her Oct. 19 talk titled “Healthy Relationships.” The event begins at 6 p.m.
• SUNY Cortland graduates who have embarked on careers in biomedical science professions will return to speak with students on campus Oct. 26. Part of the Alumni Speaker Series that is co-sponsored by Career Services and Alumni Engagement, the panel participants will share how they got from SUNY Cortland to where they are today. Students will be offered insight into the medical and biomedical fields and gain valuable advice directly from working professionals. Learn more and ask questions about becoming a medical doctor, a physical therapist, a physician assistant, a medical biotechnologist and more. 
• What does it mean to have “good hair”? Join Health Educator Lauren Herman and a representative of the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office for the “Good Hair” discussion Nov. 2 to find out.
• On Nov. 9, two Career Services representatives will offer pointers on how to maximize a positive professional brand on social media and minimize online regrets. The presentation, “Managing Your Reputation in the Social Media Age,” provides ideas about creating a positive, professional reputation that is essential to a student’s success after college. The presenters are Michele Baran, the College’s assistant director of career services and online operations specialist, and Meredith Morell, student employment coordinator.
• On Nov. 16, the campus and community are invited to take part in the “Great American SmokeOut” from noon to 3 p.m. in the Student Life Center. Andrea Hart, a nutritionist with the Auxiliary Services Corporation, along with Health Promotion Office interns and representatives from the Cortland County Health Department will be available to help individuals sign a pledge on Wednesday to quit tobacco use for the day on Thursday or help someone they know to quit.

For more information or accommodation to attend an event, contact Lauren Herman, the College’s health educator, in Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-1, or at lauren.herman@cortland.edu or 607-753-2066.