The 2017 Wellness Fair was hosted on Wednesday by the Shippensburg University’s Counseling Center and the Human Resources Department in the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) of the Ceddia Union Building.
The fair was intended to educate students on all kinds of health issues by allowing vendors and organizations to display their profession and intended goal.
Linda Chalk, a psychologist in the counseling center, explained the goal of the fair.
“Our goal is to provide information related to health and to give participants a chance to learn more from physical, mental and nutritional health exhibits,” Chalk said.
However, Chalk was not the only representative from the counseling center present. Many counselors could be found working stations and greeting people as they walked in.
Students were encouraged to check out all of the stands by being given a Wellness Fair bingo card at the entrance.
Participants could check off each box on the bingo card after visiting each designated stand and redeem the completed card for a chance to win various prizes.
As Chalk explained, there was a variety of stands from chiropractors offering back massages, to health clinics, to health insurance companies and student organizations handing out informational pamphlets.
Upon entering the MPR, one also found dogs providing students an uplifting feeling and improvement to emotional health.
Throughout the fair, students were offered free samples of a wide variety of teas, all providing different health benefits as well as healthy snacks.
One stand stressed protection against HIV and other STI’s by distributing free condoms to students and having students sign a document to swear their commitment to practice safe sex.
Other on-campus organizations were present such as the exercise science club which grabbed participant’s interest by offering tests like body mass index, body-fat percentage and flexibility tests.
Senior Jason Greenspan, a volunteer for the Testicular Cancer Foundation, described his thoughts on the fair.
“Not many people think about health so it’s important to get the word out and raise awareness among college students,” Greenspan said.
Greenspan described how college-age males never think about things like testicular cancer affecting their lives.
Greenspan also plans on breaking the record for organizing the largest testicular cancer test among college students.
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