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Mind, Body,
Books: A Healthful Balance
By Eric Sean Weld
Smith College's strong academic tradition
and its reputation for intellectual excellence may be the foremost and
initial attraction for
the young scholars who want to attend college here. But the
healthy Smith student will not thrive on books and research alone.
"At Smith, our academics
are so strong, so important and such a large part of student life. That's
why students come here," says Maureen Mahoney,
dean of the college. "But that cannot be all there is to being a Smith
student. We believe that needs to be balanced by other life activities. We
need to be teaching how you live a life, how you maintain a balanced life in
terms
of fitness, diet and relaxation alongside intellectual activity."
There
are many extracurricular options at Smith that complement students' academic
activities and contribute to a healthful, balanced lifestyle. Among them are:
Connie Peterson,
who has served at Smith for 17 years as the coordinator of
health education in Health Services, agrees
on the need for varied activities in the student's life. "Something
I would like students to leave with [when they graduate]
is balance in their lives, to work hard but to take care
of their bodies, to take time
for friends, to take time for fun. "
The new Olin Fitness Center (above), constructed
between Ainsworth and Scott gymnasiums, offers the Smith community a
spacious, light-filled exercise area with state-of-the-art fitness equipment
(below right). The center connects the third floors of both gyms and
overlooks reconfigured space that is now a lounge area (below left).
Peterson emphasizes that point
through some of the 30 workshops she devises each semester
to address issues of interest to students. Her workshops deal with topics
such as alleviating stress during examination periods; practicing safe walking
habits, especially around heavy-traffic areas like Elm Street; fostering a healthy
body image; nutrition; sex education; time management; and alcohol use. Among
her other initiatives, the most successful has been the Quit-Smoking Kit to assist
students in kicking the cigarette habit; she has given out about 50 kits so far
this year.
"We offer a lot of resources for students," she
says. "We offer
more than most other schools. We want people here to incorporate the knowledge
they get from our sessions into their behavior."
A new state-of-the-art
addition to Smith resources that promotes a balanced student lifestyle is
the Olin Fitness Center. This facility, between Scott
and Ainsworth
gymnasiums, opened to the campus community in early January and will be dedicated
officially on February 20. The building and its sophisticated exercise equipment
were funded by a $4 million gift from the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Foundation
in honor of Barbara Olin Taylor '54 and Judy Olin Higgins '58.
A
fitness center became the top priority of the Department of Athletics as
a result of the college's 1996 self-study to assess its long-range
needs. For recruitment purposes and to encourage students to be more active,
Smith needed
a high-quality fitness facility with ample, comfortable space, high-tech
equipment and effective programming, says Lynn Oberbillig, director of athletics.
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As an athlete who played softball
and volleyball in high school and plays fall softball
at Smith, Renaud works out regularly at Ainsworth
Gym and looks forward to using the Olin Fitness Center.
Besides lifting weights three times a week, she keeps
her heart in shape with cardiovascular exercises
on the elliptical machines at the gym and by playing
squash at the Ainsworth courts. She prefers to stay
in good physical condition, she says, because of
the energy she gains from it. "I like being
able to do stuff, like going for a two-mile run,
or playing sports. It's nice to be able to
walk upstairs without passing out," quips Renaud,
who lives on the third floor of Ziskind House.
Renaud says she plans to maintain
her physical condition after Smith by playing sports
in adult leagues. "I'm hoping to stay
in shape for the rest of my life," she says.
At Smith, Renaud has found ample opportunities for
healthful living, she explains, such as the campus
exercise facilities and various dietary options in
the house dining rooms. "You can get just about
everything you need at Smith," she says, of
the fitness options -- indoor and outdoor running
tracks and tennis courts, free weights and weight
machines and satellite gyms across the campus, as
well as vegan and vegetarian dishes. "If people
want it, they can get it here."
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Photo by Gregory Cherin
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For Ricciardi, a sophomore
from Rindge, New Hampshire, who balances her interest
in gymnastics with her crowded academic schedule,
staying physically fit is essential for maintaining
mental health. "I've been active as long
as I can remember," she notes. "Exercise
helps me clear my brain. It keeps me healthy and
it keeps me sane. I always feel better afterward." Ricciardi
spends several hours, three or four days each week,
working the rings and bars at Hampshire Gymnastics
in Amherst and works out regularly at Smith as well,
lifting free weights and raising her heart rate on
the cross-training machines. Now she works as a trained
monitor at the Olin Fitness Center and plans to use
the new facility and its roomful of exercise machines
to continue her good health habits. Next year, Ricciardi
will spend her junior year studying in Italy, and
though she hopes to stay in shape there, she doesn't
expect the health accommodations to be on par with
those at Smith. "It's great here," she
says of the campus, "we have everything we
need to stay healthy."
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Photo by Gregory Cherin
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"We wanted the fitness center to be
a showcase," she recalls. "We
want to use it as a recruiting tool. My biggest dream would be to change
the culture here, to create a place in which it is part of the culture
to be physically
fit and mentally energetic, to maintain good eating habits and physical
activity in balance with the academic life and social life that are now
given aspects
of being a student at Smith College. And it's all tied to fitness."
Equally
important in the effort to balance students' lives for optimum
health and productivity is the Campus Center, which opened in August next to
John M. Greene Hall. The center -- which, in addition to its café and
game and TV rooms, includes plenty of open areas with comfortable seating for
lounging, the Grécourt Bookshop, a large performance space, several meeting
rooms and the mailroom -- is designed to offer something for everyone on campus,
according to Dawn Mays-Floyd, director. With more than a thousand events scheduled
there this year, including many social and recreational programs for students, "the
Campus Center is really a space for the entire community," she notes. "Where
else is there on campus for everyone to come together formally and informally?"
"The Campus Center is an important
addition to the college's balanced
approach," explains Mahoney, "to provide a place in which students
can relax, socialize and pursue other interests in balance with intellectual
activities. Being well rested and enjoying student life at Smith must accompany
the rigorous academic routine."
The student diet is another essential
component. During the past four years the college's dining services department
has made an effort to offer dishes and meals that accommodate the health needs
and tastes of the students who eat
in campus dining rooms, says Kathy Zieja, director of dining services.
"I think there has been a real effort here to respond to students' requests
for more healthy options in the house dining rooms," Zieja says. "There's
been a concentration this year to make sure there is a salad bar at every lunch
and dinner, with mixed greens and ample vegetables. I think students have seen
some good changes, more protein options like beans and soy products. There's
a healthy balance, better variety. This is all a response to student requests." All
the college's efforts to provide opportunities for good health along
with strong academics are on par with Smith's peer institutions, observes
Mahoney. Wellesley College, for example, is currently constructing a multimillion-dollar
fitness complex, and many colleges have altered their dining menus to foster
healthful diets.
"We want our students to take full advantage of the richness of activities
available here," Mahoney says. "If the stress of academics gets too
high, then our mission won't stand up. Many students appreciate the college's
efforts to promote healthful lifestyles. According to Oberbillig, more than a
thousand students take part in fitness-related
courses offered by the exercise and sport studies department each year -- a
good proportion of the student body.
"I think that Smith's options
for staying healthy are pretty great," acknowledges
Kathryn Horton '04, a member of the ski team who frequently uses the
fitness facilities. "The new facilities are awesome. If I were looking
at the school now and toured the new fitness center I might be swayed to
come here. Also, Health
Services' counseling is a great resource to have on campus. It is so
important to have such a resource so close by for people who might need to
see someone."
Aida Manu '05, who serves as one of
five student health representatives in Quad houses, believes that the
college places a
high priority on informing
students of health-related issues in their interest. "I think the
college has done a lot to keep students informed about how to be healthy," she
says, including a steady distribution of articles and statistics in house
common spaces and the availability of Health Services sessions. In her
first year, Manu
remembers, she found such information particularly helpful. "It's
important just to let students know the information is out there, it's
available."
Of course, a strong academic focus will
always be central to Smith's mission.
But thanks to the college's efforts, students here will continue
to have ample opportunities to take care of their minds and bodies and
enjoy their lives
at Smith beyond their academic pursuits. "We have a student body
that is serious about intellectual activity," notes Mahoney. "But
we have an obligation to pay attention to the full range of life activities."
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Yoga calms,
running de-stresses, lifting weights strengthens.
It's all part of a decision that Professor
Joshua Miller made 30 years ago -- to exercise every
day. And the routine has sustained him through a
social work career, often working in the area of
crisis management in such places as England, Ireland
and post-Sept. 11 New York -- and now in an energetic
academic career. His regimen has paid off. "I'm
much calmer, I sleep well, I don't get sick
much, I don't get morose," says Miller,
who is also chair of the social policy sequence.
Several times a week he swims or runs, strength trains
and attends noon-hour yoga classes. The yoga classes
have led to an interest in Buddhism; both disciplines
in turn have enhanced his work with students and
clients. "It has deepened my capacity for being
nonjudgmental, calm and present in the moment." And
what about the days when it just seems too difficult
-- or cold or rainy -- to get to the gym for a workout? "I
always push myself to get there anyway," Miller
says with a smile. "And 98 percent of the time
I feel a whole lot better afterwards. " |
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Photo by Gregory Cherin
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It used to
be that Valerie Schumacher got very little exercise
outside her noon-hour walk to Northampton's
downtown restaurants to pick up a cheeseburger or
a burrito for lunch. But despite the time away from
her desk and from her demanding workload, she never
felt relaxed, even after a walk. She decided to try
running after noticing that a co-worker took daily
runs on her lunch hour. "I did it initially," she
says, "to relieve some stress and to calm myself
down." It worked. Now some eight years later,
Schumacher has run the 26-mile Boston Marathon twice,
quit smoking and become so addicted to a lunchtime
workout that she misses it like an old friend when
it doesn't happen. In addition to lifting weights
two times a week in the Ainsworth Gym weight room,
she runs regularly -- outside on the Smith athletic
fields or nearby trails when the weather permits
and inside on a treadmill when it doesn't. "It's
a great way to spend an hour during the day," Schumacher
says. "I hope I'm still doing this when
I'm 80 years old." |
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Photo by Gregory Cherin
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