Health
December 7, 2013
Students struggle to get full nights of sleep
By: Kolton Nay College students, many say, are forced to divide their lives into three parts: having a social life, maintaining good grades and getting enough sleep. Succeeding in all three areas is said to be impossible. Since giving up a social life deems you a recluse and giving up grades pegs you as a slacker, for many students this semester, that left only one place to cut: sleep. An informal survey of 45 randomly selected Goshen College students of all ages and class years found that students, on average, are getting only 6.2 hours of sleep per night. That’s...
October 22, 2013
The flexible hour
Although it is Hayley Mann’s first time instructing a yoga class solo at Goshen College’s Recreation and Fitness Center, one would barely be able to notice. Whether it is her gracefulness and fluidity as she transitions from pose to pose in the sun salutation sequence, or the confidence that exudes with each stretch, she seems as if she has been doing it for years. To some extent she has, assisting classes since the age of sixteen in her hometown of Phoenix, Ariz. Her love for yoga began in tenth grade, when she began attending yoga classes in Phoenix with her...
October 6, 2013
Where have the swimmers gone
Community members of Goshen are looking for new places to swim. When the Goshen College pool in the Recreation Fitness Center closed last fall, avid pool users like Linda SchlabachMiller and Sally Fuller, who taught water aerobic classes in the pool regularly, as well as regular lap swimmers and family pool users like Kevin Gary and his family, were forced to move on to other pools and opportunities—if they could find them. Unwilling to give up on her water aerobics class, Miller tried to find another pool to facilitate her weekly classes and encourage fitness. She was employedby the Goshen...
January 30, 2013
Faculty compete for “Biggest Loser” title
Faculty members are weighing in. Today, Jan. 31, as part of Goshen College’s “Biggest Loser” competition, faculty will step on the scale as a part of a program that will provide incentive to get in shape this semester. "The Biggest Loser Competition is just a fun way to motivate me to make progress over the coming two months,” said Michael Sherer, director of information technology and a Wellness Committee member. This contest is open to all Goshen College employees and is meant to improve wellness screening numbers. The posters plastered on many campus bathroom stalls announce “$500 in prizes.” Mandatory...
January 30, 2013
New campus counselor brings passion and vision
Over the last year and a half, the Goshen College Wellness and Health Center has seen its fair share of change. Diane White, nurse practitioner, left campus in 2011, followed by Char Hochstetler, campus counselor, in 2012, but as of this semester the Wellness and Health Center has a new occupant. On Jan. 7, the GC community welcomed Jennifer Beer to campus, where she will serve as the new campus counselor. Beer is an Elkhart native and currently resides there with her husband, her three children–ages five, six and 13–and the family dog, an Australian shepherd named Max. She grew...
January 24, 2013
Exercise and science united in new major
Starting next fall, students can combine knowledge of the body with knowledge of running, weight-lifting and sports. A new major called "exercise science" will be offered. The major corresponds with the physical education department changing its name to the kinesiology department. Physical education is a very narrow term to describe a growing field and department, especially with the scholarly research and professional application it encompasses. So, Jewel Lehman, chair of the newly-founded kinesiology department, decided to use this overarching term to create a more descriptive and inclusive title for what Goshen has to offer. The new major is designed to...
April 11, 2012
Employees tested for healthy living habits
As part of Goshen College's new wellness plan, employees are undergoing health testing this week. The testing, conducted Tuesday through Friday this week in Newcomer, measures employees' body mass index, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and tobacco/nicotine use in hopes that they will meet goals similar to standards set by the National Health Institute. The tests come after a school year of new health measures at the college. Norm Bakhit, Human Resources director, says that GC created a wellness program to help foster improved health as a group. “Goshen College is self-insured,” said Bakhit. “The healthier our Goshen community, the less...
March 21, 2012
Goshen students celebrate Healthy Bodies Week
Giggles and shrieks abounded as plaster splattered during Tuesday’s activity for Healthy Bodies Week, a series of events hosted by Goshen Student Women’s Association. The event was body casting, in which women gathered and made plaster casts of different parts of their bodies, ranging from chests to hands and legs. Adrienne Yoder, a senior first-time body caster, said that there was “the initial shock of taking clothes off but then realizing that we all look the same.” Chelsea Wimmer, a junior, and Ashley Fehlberg, a senior, expressed similar feelings of liberation. “It was very freeing,” said Wimmer. “I experienced a...
January 12, 2012
New wellness plan for employees puts health on the map
This past semester, handouts with lists of tips for decreasing stress were taped to bathroom stall doors. A local Zumba class became a weekly activity on campus. Even the grass looked greener. Thanks to a new wellness plan implemented for faculty, Goshen College is becoming a healthier—and happier—campus. Goshen College unveiled a revised wellness initiative last April, teaming with Everence and other members of the Mennonite Educators Benefit Plan, as well as a program called Bravo Wellness. Employees will now undergo a yearly confidential health screening in April to test blood pressure, BMI, body fat and cholesterol and nicotine levels. If...
November 30, 2011
Health clubs collaborating for AIDS awareness
Music, stories and free homemade desserts will be in Java Junction to bring awareness to World AIDS Day tonight at 8 p.m. The event will highlight how HIV/AIDS has affected the lives of people around the world. Six people will share their experiences with HIV/AIDS around the world and locally while four students will share about AIDS in other countries. Dan Nafziger, the Elkhart County Health Officer, will talk about HIV/AIDS in this region and Jan Emswiler, a nursing professor, will share about her experience with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania when she worked there with Mennonite Central Committee. At 10 p.m. Bob Yoder,...
October 12, 2011
R.F.C. provides a workout experience for all levels and schedules
The sounds of Latin music permeate the Union Gym on Monday and Wednesday evenings as students and community members come together to work out through dance. Sophomore Austin Van, a regular Zumba attender, said that she enjoys the class because it has “a spicier type of dancing with good music.” Though they were held in the Recreation-Fitness Center last year, Zumba classes are now in the Union Gym where the space is larger and there is a better floor and improved air flow. Zumba classes are only one of the programs the R.F.C. offers students. There are a variety of...
September 14, 2011
For student care, doctors on call and off campus
This year, when Goshen College students are under the weather, they might have to brave the weather to get medical attention. Beginning this semester, the Wellness and Health Center will no longer provide medical care for students on campus. Goshen College has signed a contract with Goshen Family Physicians, outsourcing student medical needs to the clinic, which is 1.2 miles east of the college. Goshen Family Physicians will not service walk-ins, but, according to Bill Born, dean of students, the clinic has verbally agreed to provide care on the day it is requested. “We leave same-day appointment spaces open so...
December 2, 2010
Flu verification (online only)
As educators, we are always on the lookout for teachable moments. This week has provided several of them, and the Goshen College Nursing Department faculty and staff would like to take advantage of these opportunities to set the record straight about what is and is not “the flu”. The “Flu virus, dubbed ‘The Plague’ sweeps campus” headline from the Goshen College newspaper of November 18 is both problematic and incorrect. Briefly, flu, short for influenza, is a very contagious respiratory illness that often causes coughing, fever, generalized aching, weakness, and headache. It can lead to pneumonia and other severe and...
November 17, 2010
A day of AIDS awareness
On Wednesday, Dec. 1 there will be a World AIDS Awareness event at Goshen College. This event, hosted by the Pre-Med Club and the Goshen College Nursing Student Association, will take place in Java Junction from 8-10 p.m. While HIV/AIDS is receiving less media attention than it did during the 80's and 90's, it is still a pandemic in many places around the world. This challenging issue is going to be a part of our world for a long time, and people need to be informed about it. The Center for Disease Control estimates more than 1 million people in...
November 17, 2010
Flu virus, dubbed ‘The Plague,’ sweeps campus
Last week more than 50 Goshen College students came down with a flu virus that has quickly come to be known around campus as “The Plague.” This flu epidemic began early last week and continues to affect students and faculty alike. Officials are hoping that the worst of the outbreak is over, but students are still asked to take precautions and do what they can to prevent the bug from spreading. “I know of at least six people on my floor who have gotten sick so far,” said Eliza Graber, a sophomore resident of Yoder Hall. “It came so...