Sarah Huerta
Staff Writer
“Welcome … to the Caribbean” reads the sign that hung above the Islands of Wellness Health Fair on Friday. This year’s program featured more than 50 exhibitors who offered free health and medical advice to students, staff and faculty.
Even though Pepperdine’s campus is located in health and beauty-conscious Malibu, students can still potentially lose sight of the values of physical fitness. For the past seven years, Pepperdine’s Wellness Program has organized the spring Health Fair. The program is responsible for coordinating all of the exhibits and the alluring island-themed decorations that attract students.
Rhonda Harris-Scott, one of the program’s coordinators, emphasized the importance of a health-conscious campus.
“The fair serves to bring health and fitness information to our campus by providing our students with a connection to services and programs offered on campus and throughout the community,” she said. “It’s important to expose students to both traditional and non-traditional fitness and health advice.
“And the best part is that all of the exhibitors are volunteers and donate their services and time each year,” Harris Scott added.
The fair was buzzing with students who wandered from exhibit to exhibit speaking with representatives from organizations such as Trader Joe’s, Kaiser Permanente, UCLA Healthcare, Santa Monica Bay Physicians, Origins Cosmetics and the Spectrum Club. Some of the most popular exhibits included Jamba Juice, which gave away free smoothie samples, and the Sherman Sports Injury Center, which offered free massages.
“Malibu is a very health-conscious community and this is a good place to learn about what’s being offered,” said junior Emily Samuel. “Plus, you get Jamba Juice and lots of free stuff.”
The Health Fair also serves to increase student awareness about different programs offered on campus. Some of these include the Campus Recreation Program, Student Health Insurance and Pepperdine Student Counseling Program.
“So many students aren’t even aware of the recreation programs we offer,” said student worker and junior Jillian Bailey. “Our services include the weight room, intramurals and aerobic classes, and students should really take advantage of these programs because exercise is such a great way to stay in shape and relieve stress.”
Junior Phil Nieto was equally enthusiastic about the Health Fair.
“I’m here because I’m interested in bettering myself and becoming as fit as possible,” Nieto said.
01-27-2005