College Offers Fall 'Wellness' Series for Campus, Community

CORTLAND, NY (08/27/2014)(readMedia)-- 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 2014 "Wellness Wednesday Series" will feature events intended to encourage campus and community members to learn more about health and wellness.

Programs continue through the fall semester with topics including yoga for beginners; using social media to improve one's future professional reputation; a discussion on sexuality; developing a culture of safety with alcohol; good academic planning for wellness' sake; essential things to do while in college; and talking about race.

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. 27 Louise Mahar, the College's assistant director of recreational sports for fitness, will offer "An Intro to Yoga." Participants will experience a beginner-level yoga class and should dress in loose, comfortable clothing and bring a mat or towel.

• Mary Dykeman, public health educator at the Jacobus Center for Reproductive Health, will give a talk on "Ten Things Every College Student Should Know About Sex" on Sept. 3. Whether one has sex or not, being educated about sexuality is a must, according to Dykeman. She invites students to join a frank, informative and entertaining discussion.

• Why do many college students continue to drink even after experiencing alcohol-related harm, asks national speaker Jake Byczkowski. On Sept. 10 in the Corey Union Function Room, he will answer that question by guiding the audience through his personal journey to discovering his own drinking problem. Byczkowski will reveal how he created a solution specific to his own needs. For more information about the talk, "Solo Cup Culture: Minimizing the Risks of an Alcohol-Soaked Campus Climate," visit Byczkowski's website campuspeak.com/speakers/jake.

• Participants can "Walk the Walk of Student Services" at an open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 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 nutrition services. Staff from the Division of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Multicultural Life and Diversity Office, and Campus Activities Office will meet students in the Corey Union lobby. Refreshments will be served and prizes raffled.

• Members of the campus community will get a chance to feel good by helping others when they donate blood from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 24. The activity is sponsored by the student group "Code Red" and the Health Promotion Office. Walk-ins are welcome but individuals are encouraged to avoid a possible wait in line by scheduling their visit to give blood in advance. Contact the Health Promotion Office at 607-753-2066. Look for sign-up tables on the first floor of Corey Union in the days leading up to the event.

• Academics are an important piece of a student's academic wellness. With that in mind, staff from the Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP) will work with those in Advisement and Transition to present "Being Academically Well - Strategies and Resources for Success" on Oct. 1. The program teaches strategies for academic success and on how to maximize available all the resources available, including Degree Works, the new degree audit system.

• On Oct. 8, the day before National Depression Screening Day (NDSD), the College's Counseling Center staff will conduct its own event to raise awareness and screen people for depression and related mood and anxiety disorders. Members of the College community are encouraged to stop by the "Depression Screening Day" tables for information, resources and screenings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Corey Union first floor. NDSD is the nation's oldest voluntary, community-based screening program and has screened more than half a million people each year for depression since 1991.

• On Oct. 15, a panel of students, faculty and community members will address an issue relating to individuals of all sexualities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ): "LGBTQ: Why Do We Still Need National Coming Out Day?"

• Jullien "The Innerviewer" Gordon, a consultant, coach, author and talent developer, will discuss how students can graduate from college with a great job and less debt, on Oct. 29 in the Corey Union Function Room. His talk, "The Other 4.0 That Matters: 101 Things To Do Before You Graduate To Maximize College And Minimize Debt," relates to a book he wrote as a comprehensive list of experiences to seek out during college, 101 Things To Do Before You Graduate. He was trained at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he focused on organizational behavior, high performance leadership, strategy and entrepreneurship. For more information, visit his website at julliengordon.com/speaking.

• The Multicultural Life and Diversity Office will host "Let's Talk About Race," a panel presentation on Nov. 5 that offers an opportunity for our campus to start a healthy dialogue about race. "The single most important thing to appreciate about race in the United States is that we all have a race," says Noelle Chaddock Paley, the director of the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office. "I want everyone to come prepared to talk about their racial histories and the impact race has on all of our lives."

• On Nov. 12, Michele Baran, the College's assistant director of career services and online operations specialist, will offer pointers on how to maximize a positive professional brand on social media and minimize online regrets. Her presentation, "Like a Tattoo: Digital Dirt, Social Media and Your Personal Brand," shares ideas about what smart students want to put on their social media profile and what they would be well advised to remove.

• On Nov. 19, the campus and community are invited to take part in the "Great American SmokeOut" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Corey Union first floor. Health promotion interns will be available to help individuals sign the pledge on Wednesday to quit for the day on Thursday or help someone they know to quit.

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 catherine.smith@cortland.edu or 607-753-2066.

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