By ALEXA ERICKSON
Wellness is the latest component to the new Stephen F. and Marsha Dickey Health and Wellness Center, offering the University of Tampa community a large variety of well-being.
Gina Firth, associate Dean of Students, and Katie White, assistant Director of Campus Recreation worked side-by-side in coordinating the Wellness Committee.
The committee is contained of a group of students and departments devoted to making UT a healthy campus.
“The best part of the Wellness Committee is the range of people involved, including students from the public health, allied health, nursing and marketing departments,” said Firth.
“Wellness is a big area to cover and in order to be comprehensive, it’s important to have as many diverse hands on deck as possible.”
The center provides an extensive list of programs that includes physical, spiritual, social, emotional, alcohol and drug related wellness.
To educate students on these opportunities offered for them, the committee has implemented marketing tools to spread the word.
“We’ve put postcards in every single UT mailbox, taken out ads in the Minaret, supplied information in the global message e-mails and utilized the LSD screens,” said Firth.
The committee also hosted the Wellness Symposium in the Plant Hall Music Room last Friday, which offered speakers, vendors and expos educating people on practical and helpful ways to stay healthy.
Pedestrian safety, acupuncture, tobacco awareness and weight management were some of the topics covered, as well as a self-love yoga workshop and a tai chi class hosted outside of Riverside.
The new symposium will be offered every fall, and the committee hopes to get involved with the Health Fair hosted by the nursing program available each spring to further advance the opportunities and education available
on wellness.
In correlation with the current offerings of the Wellness Center, a stress management class is being offered every Wednesday night on the second floor of the Health and Wellness Center at 5:30 p.m. that incorporates yoga,
breathing and meditation techniques.
The committee also looks forward to utilizing the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values for an assortment of classes and programs they’ve created.
“The committee is fantastic,” Firth said.
“What we are currently offering and those who are involved have provided a great synergy and we look forward to what we can provide in the future for a healthy UT.”
For more information and a list of programs offered by the Wellness Committee, contact Gina Firth at gfirth@ut.edu.
Alexa Erickson can be reached at alexaerickson16@gmail.com.