Campus Health promotes healthy living at New Year New You on UA Mall

By ALISON DORF Published January 24, 2013 at 3:22am Updated January 24, 2013 at 3:22am

Campus Health Service reached out to UA students on Wednesday through its latest event promoting healthy living.

Various campus organizations gathered on the UA Mall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to host the New Year, New You event.

The primary goal of the event was “to have fun and connect students to resources,” said Melanie Fleck, an outreach specialist for Health Promotion and Preventive Services and a coordinator for the event.

“If their New Year’s resolution was to be healthier or to do better in school, it was providing those people from across campus that can help them reach those goals,” Fleck said.

Booths were hosted by programs around campus such as Think Tank, Campus Recreation, SafeRide and the Arizona Students’ Association. Several of the booths engaged students through activities and prizes while providing tips on how to be successful in the new year.

The UA Love Your Body program gave students paper slips with positive body image messages, according to Becca Robinson, a nutrition junior.

“It’s definitely a positive experience … you get more comfortable with your body through it,” Robinson said.

The Dean of Students’ booth promoted student safety and shared information about the resources available on campus for students.

“We’re kind of a place to start, then they [Dean of Students] can show them where to go on campus for the support they need so that they continue to be successful,” said Tricia Don, a coordinator for the Dean of Students office.

Each booth gave out “event passports,” which students could carry with them during the event for a stamp at each table they visited. If students visited at least six exhibitors on the passport, they could then use it as a fastpass for a photo booth.

The event also attracted students with a special performance by the National Danish Performance Team, a non-profit organization that performs and offers workshops worldwide, according to Nanna Roende Rasmussen, a performer for the team.

“We basically want to tell people about healthy living, and showing one way of doing sports and still having fun while doing it,” Rasmussen said. “We want to promote an active lifestyle.”

The current team members were selected in February 2012, but have been doing gymnastics their whole lives, according to Rasmussen. Since September, the group has traveled to Africa and Asia, and it plans to be in the U.S. for a month before moving on to Latin America and Europe.

The group’s performance caught the attention of many students who were passing by, including Parisa Eshrati, a psychology junior. Eshrati said the booths helped her with her goals for the new year, especially with learning about the available activities on campus.

“I feel like they kind of cover all the topics for health … I think it was a good way to kind of collaborate all the different ideas for how to live better,” Eshrati said.