By APRIL REYNOLDS

akr011@latech.edu

 

Students looking to broaden their awareness on health and wellness by sampling healthy food and testing exercise machines can look no further than Tech’s annual Wellness Fair taking place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the Student Center, Main Floor.

Dr. Sean Dwyer, an associate professor of marketing and analysis and owner of Curves, located at 975 Tech Drive, said this is the second year Curves has participated in the annual Wellness Fair. He said the fair benefits both faculty and students alike.

“This is such a great event,” Dwyer said. “It is an event that everyone should attend [because] there’s nothing more important than our health.”

Alisa Washam, a registered nurse for the Student Health Center, said a lot of health services are offered for free or for a lesser fee to students, faculty and staff. She said the Wal-mart Vision Screening and the Speech and Hearing Department offer free screenings for students. Also, Lincoln General Hospital offers flu shots for $20 and pneumonia shots for $35 dollars.

“[Lincoln General] does lab work for reasonable prices for students who need those,” Washam said. “The results are mailed back and are usually received within a week.”

Ashley Griffin, a junior medical technology major, said she did not go to the Wellness Fair last year, but is interested in seeing what will be offered this year.

“I plan on going this year,” Griffin said. “I never really wanted to go in past years, but my roommate went on about it so much that I wanted to see for myself.”

Dwyer said last year’s turnout was great, but he believes more could be done to get full awareness out on campus.

“We were able to meet many new students and faculty last year, a num  dber of whom later became members,” Dwyer said. “For those students we meet that day, we will provide them [with] a Wellness Fair [four-month student membership] discount of only $89.”

He said Curves serves to bring to students’ attention the importance of engaging in both strength training and sustained cardiovascular activity. He and his wife, Linda, co-owner of Curves, also aim to emphasize the need to maintain one’s flexibility through post-workout stretching.

“We will bring our lateral lift machine, one of our 14 different hydraulic exercise machines, to show how the machine can provide an intense workout for one muscle group,” Dwyer said.

Griffin said it is the different equipment she especially looks forward to.

“It’s great that students can stop by on their way to lunch and take part in these services,” Griffin said.

Washam said this availability to students is exactly the point of the fair, which has been in existence at Tech for 11 years.

“The fair functions to promote health and wellness,” Washam said. “It is a way to give students healthy ideas for a healthy lifestyle.”