The Healthy Campus Initiative, which has been in planning for three years, will be kicked off from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, at the EMU Amphitheater. The initial Healthy Campus event will include a 1-mile walk or 5-kilometer fun run with UO President Richard Lariviere, several raffle prizes and a lineup of at least five musical acts.
"I cannot think of anything with a greater potential to positively impact the vibrancy of our community or the education of our students than promoting healthy, balanced lives," says Dennis Munroe, the UO's director of physical education and recreation, and chair of the Healthy Campus Task Force.
According to the Healthy Campus website
Raffle prizes for the kickoff event include two pairs of shoes from Eugene Running Company, Suunto heart rate monitors and a punch card for the Student Recreation Center. Entertainment will be provided by campus radio station KWVA, the UO Gospel Choir and the a cappella groups Divisi, Mind the Gap and On the Rocks.
"As the initiative continues to evolve, we envision many Healthy Campus events throughout the year," Munroe says. "We have made a giant leap in the right direction and will continue to guide and develop the initiative as it blossoms and grows."
The Healthy Campus Initiative began as a discussion of health-related resources available to students, but quickly spread to encompass the needs of faculty and staff. The task force identified positive programs that were in place through various university departments, but found little cohesion or collaboration.
Healthy Campus will seek to organize and expand UO efforts to encourage good health by eliminating duplication of services, filling gaps in program offerings, establishing a centralized office with overarching objectives, improving accessibility and tracking the progress of participants.
A search is underway for a Healthy Campus Initiative director, and Munroe expects a hire to be made by early 2011.
"We're striving to provide the resources necessary to create a culture of health and wellness on campus, in hopes that all members of the university community will not only thrive in this environment, but will develop healthy habits for a lifetime," says Robin Holmes, the UO's vice president for student affairs.
According to a report from the Healthy Campus Task Force, the initiative is based on a believe that improving the health of faculty, staff and students will increase the university's chances of achieving strategic and academic goals.
The report - which included information from several universities with similar programs in place - indicated that better health among employees will decrease absenteeism, increase productivity, improve focus and concentration, reduce turnover, lower the incidence of disease and lead to health care savings. The initiative is also expected to reduce student absences, decrease the use of physical and mental health services, and improve study practices, productivity and academic success.
The task force report pointed out that lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, excessive weight and smoking are primary contributors to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other health issues.
A "wellness model" adopted by the Healthy Campus Task Force lists eight areas of wellness that the initiative will address: cultural, emotional, environmental, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Mosley, UO media relations, 541-346-3606, jmosley@uoregon.edu
SOURCE: Dennis Munroe, UO director of physical education and recreation, 541-346-4153, dmunroe@uoregon.edu