Students received Frisbees, food samples, screenings, flu shots and plenty of information at the Wellness Fair in the Union Ballroom Oct. 26.
The fair featured a giant cigarette, which chased people around the ballroom, a lottery drawing and a blackjack table.
Judy Vu, chairwoman of the Student Health Advisory Committee, sat at the blackjack table to teach students the risks of not keeping themselves healthy. She said the purpose of the fair was to inform students about different types of wellness and to boost student health.
“There are six different types of health,” Vu said, “Spiritual, emotional, intellectual, social, physical and occupational. We tried to get organizations to provide information about each area.” Over 100 groups were at the fair to tell students about topics ranging from financial health to diabetes.
Sheri Kerr of the Buddha Maitreya Soul Therapy Center had a booth featuring objects she referred to as a part of the science of sacred geometry. She had students sit in a triangular chair while holding spinning geometrical figures.
She said this would infuse their shakras-the body’s energy centers-with light, making them more serene and peaceful. The spinning figures “are made by monks,” she said, “and the proceeds from them go to charities in Tibet.”
Nitin Gulia, a senior in finance, attended the fair for the pharmacy information but quickly became distracted by the massage therapy station.
“I thought the fair provided some great information, but I especially loved the massage,” he said. Others prepared for the winter months by getting flu shots. The first 100 people out of nearly 300 received shots for free-the rest had to pay $10. The fair encouraged students to become pro-active in maintaining and finding information about their personal health. Screenings for diabetes, hearing and scoliosis were also offered.
Annette Losee of Conger & Green came to the fair to offer students a chance to have a back screening. She said that a lot of people have not even heard of chiropractors and had no idea their spines could be skewed.
“I screened three to four people who were very off and (had) major back problems,” she said. This fair, the 15th of its kind, is held annually around Halloween to prepare students for the upcoming winter. SHAC, the Office of Health Promotion, and Student Health Services hosted the fair.