410 Forum — News
UNC Health Promotion Club Raises Awareness
By Lindsey Trujillo
Promotion of health, raising awareness for lifestyle changes and student community involvement are all characteristics of the Student Dietetic Association at the University of Northern Colorado.
The club has taken hold of UNC with a way for students to further their knowledge in dietetics and nutrition. The club meets twice a month in a classroom in Gunter Hall, where new events are planed and topics are discussed.
“I joined the club because I thought it would be a great way to meet people who had my same major and to also learn more about nutrition and the ways to promote it,” said Ashley Waither, president of the group.
Waither is a senior at UNC with a dietetics major and a nutrition minor. Since last year, the club the number of participants has doubled. The club now has 70 members with $5 yearly due.
March was National Nutrition month, which gives the club opportunity to have events weekly that involve the community and student life at UNC. For one of the main events, the club put on a cooking demo, partnering with the wellness program at the Campus Recreation Center. Heather Goings, junior dietetics major at UNC, said that the events are free for all students.
Not only do the members of the club have to share the same major in order to join the association, one of the only rules of the club, but it is a common ground where people who have the same interests in their future, can share ideas and raise awareness.
Tricia Tort, assistant director of fitness and wellness at the Campus Recreation Center, helped with the events.
“The wellness program and the club have joined on some events to help spread the word for overall health, which is an outreach for the community and students,” Tort said.
Tort said students who are looking for a healthier lifestyle should look at what they’re eating, and also the portion size of their meals. Tort also recommends that this awareness should be raised early in young people’s lives.
“Overall nutrition and health is important because it really affects the physical and mental health of a person, which can either have a negative or positive effect on someone’s life,” Tort said.
The club also takes field trips to venues around Greeley. They have visited a local dairy farm and Swift and Company meat packing plant. Field trips give the club members another way to take a look at how things are promoted for health.
“One of my favorite parts of the club is taking field trips. It allows more exposure to healthy situations and also it is enlightening on how things are processed,” Waither’s said.
The club raised awareness every week on the campus of UNC during the month of March. They also will continue to accept new members and gain ideas of how they can further the education of health promotion.
Student Dietetic Association
• Chosen Club of the Year for 2008-2009 by UNC's Student Representative Council.
• Participated in 24 events in 2008-2009 school year. Events ranged from community service to educating the public on nutrition to fundraising.
• "As the current president of the SDA, I am proud to have been part of such an influential organization and hope the success continues in teh future." -- Ashley Waither, senior
