Chandler Plachy
Fatima Boubsis, junior in accounting, pins her personal roots on the map of North Carolina with the help of Tyler Hatch, senior in aerospace engineering.
Sara Awad
Assistant Features Editor
For the first Wednesday of every month until November, University Dining, University Recreation and Student Health will join forces in the Brickyard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to promote healthy lifestyle choices.
They call the initiative Wellness Wednesdays.
“We really want to promote the fact that there’s a united effort on campus to promote wellness and well-being for our student body and campus community, so we thought it would be a great way to set up tables together even though we are promoting a variety of different wellness topics, all of the things we try to hit to create that well-rounded aspect of well-being,” said Julia Buchanan, coordinator of Fitness and Wellness Outreach.
Student Health
For September’s Wellness Wednesday, Student Health put its efforts toward educating students about cholesterol.
Students won prizes ranging from T-shirts to sunglasses for answering questions about managing cholesterol after taking a look at an informational display about the subject. They also had the opportunity to speak with nursing students from UNC-Chapel Hill for further advice.
“I think we’re trying to hit a lot of health initiatives that students run into a lot, like cholesterol,” said Taylor Pritchard, campus outreach coordinator for Student Health. “Obviously, the basis of that is making sure you have adequate exercise and a healthy diet, and I think the other part of that is really just getting the word out about Student Health. You can come see us even when you’re not sick, and we have a lot of resources that students can capitalize on to make sure they stay healthy.”
Student Health has two dietitians on staff and offers counseling and flu clinics among other resources, according to Pritchard. She said Student Health is trying to let students know that the Health Center is more than a place to go when they’re not feeling well.
University Recreation
University Recreation used its first Wellness Wednesday to spread a “Zen” atmosphere throughout the Brickyard as its members took to the mats and performed yoga poses.
“It’s Yoga Awareness Month, so we’re just out here promoting the physical and mental benefits of yoga,” Buchanan said. “For example, people who practice yoga may experience a healthier immune system and a more restful night’s sleep.”
Attendees also received handouts providing information about the types of yoga classes available through University Recreation. Classes include yoga flow (a beginner class), power yoga (an advanced class about strength and flexibility), yogalates (a workout combining yoga and Pilates), and restorative yoga (a class emphasizing a deeper relaxation of the body and mind).
University Dining
Though University Recreation and Student Health will only appear at the Brickyard one Wednesday each month, University Dining will gather at the Brickyard every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. until November as part of its Taste the Difference campaign.
According to University Dining dietitian Catherine Pelone, Dining will use the Wednesdays to highlight the North Carolina-grown and fresh food available in dining locations across campus and in their My Roots bar in the dining halls.
Students can sample North Carolina-grown foods from that week’s menu and view a map detailing the origins of the food products, about 27 percent of which comes from sustainable sources in North Carolina, Pelone said.
“We’re trying to promote a healthy and sustainable aspect to University Dining that not everybody is aware of, and it’s not just our dining halls, it’s all locations on campus,” Pelone said.
Today the National Peanut Board will provide samples of different peanut butters for students to try as part of Peanut Day, which will take place during lunch at Clark and Case dining halls.
“The Peanut Board is going to give us lots of great samples of peanut butter—chocolate peanut butter, cinnamon raisin—just a lot of fun stuff, and we’re going to show students what you can do with peanut butter,” Pelone said.
Next Wednesday, students will decide what topics and foods University Dining should cover.
“We’re trying to get students to tell us what they want to see, what they want to taste, or what they want to know more about: health and wellness on campus, how to eat healthy on campus, that sort of thing,” Pelone said.
Taste the Difference also allows students to participate in Ask a Dietician, where University Dining films students’ questions related to nutrition and health and posts them to social media along with a video response from Lisa Eberhart, University Dining’s registered dietician.
Part of the reason University Dining chose Wednesdays for Taste the Difference was because of its desire to partner with the Farmer’s Market, which already hosts vendors out in the Brickyard on Wednesdays, according to Pelone. For this reason, University Dining will highlight fall fruits and vegetables offered both at the Farmer’s Market and across campus, such as apples and squash, during the last Wednesday of the month.
Though Taste the Difference will conclude in November, Pelone said student interest could bring it back in the spring and provide a nice complement to University Dining’s Earth Day event in April, which also features North Carolina-grown food.