Opinion
Student Health and Wellness
Trustee Viewpoint
October 30, 2007 - 11:00pm
Last weekend, more than 300 members of the Board of Trustees and the University Council assembled at Cornell for the 57th annual Trustee/Council Weekend. The three-day event was filled with meetings and gatherings, both public and private. Students were able to interact with Trustees and Council members during events such as a scholarship reception for undergraduates and a weekly “TGIF” at the Big Red Barn for graduate students. The Committee on Student Life also invited one current student and one recent graduate to a committee meeting to discuss students’ views on one of the most important topics of the weekend: health and wellness.
Our university provides students with a wide array of services, programs and facilities related to student health and wellness. The purpose of our University Health Services is to “serve Cornell’s academic mission through the creation and support of a healthy campus community in which each student may participate fully in intellectual and personal growth.” Gannett receives 88,000 visits annually from students, faculty and staff with approximately 20,000 of those visits relating to mental health. The services provided at Gannett are utilized by 76 percent of students and 53 percent of faculty and staff.
Unfortunately, the Gannett facility is too small to meet the current or projected demands for health services. Because the facility must more than double its current size to adequately serve the long-term needs of the Cornell community, the university is searching for a location for an expanded facility. Several suggestions are under consideration, including sites on Central campus and on the periphery of campus. I am advocating for a site on Central campus because I believe that location is a major factor for students in deciding whether to utilize health services. About half of all visits to Gannett are spontaneous or “walk-in” visits by students who may have neglected to seek treatment if doing so would have been inconvenient. Untreated medical and mental health problems not only endanger the health of individuals but also threaten the well-being of the entire community. Additionally, when students view their peers entering and exiting Gannett, the use of health services is “normalized” and students may be more inclined to seek care when necessary. A central facility also accentuates the university’s prioritization of physical and mental health and reinforces President Skorton’s vision for building a “caring community.”
Another major component of student health and wellness is fitness. Cornell boasts five fitness sites on campus with one site open from 6 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. on weekdays. Over half of all students and nearly 70 percent of freshmen purchased a membership to the Cornell Fitness Centers during the 2006-2007 academic year. Approximately 40 percent of students who enrolled in physical education classes had already completed their two-semester physical education requirement, and over 7,500 students and staff participated in at least one intramural event during the year.
Amidst the high utilization of fitness and recreational programs by students, the facilities for these services are limited. Most notably, Helen Newman Hall desperately needs substantial renovations to attract students to the facility. When constructed in 1963 for Women's Physical Education, Helen Newman was a state-of-the-art facility with a beautiful view of Beebe Lake. The view still exists, but far fewer individuals choose to enjoy it due to the deterioration of the facility that has occurred over the past 44 years.
The recent opening of Noyes on West Campus highlights the need for attractive facilities in promoting student fitness. Since January, the number of visits to the Noyes fitness center has experienced a five-fold increase. In addition to a state-of-the-art fitness center, Noyes includes a gymnasium, a multipurpose room for fitness classes and other events, a climbing wall, a game room with free ping-pong and pool tables, two lounges and a convenience store with healthy food options. To promote healthy lifestyles and to alleviate overcrowding at other fitness centers on campus, Helen Newman must include the same high-quality equipment and amenities that Noyes provides.
While the renovation of Helen Newman is a priority in the “Far Above…” capital campaign, fundraising efforts for this purpose have only resulted in relatively small donations to date. The hope among those involved in the fundraising is that the university will receive one major lead gift and that many other significant gifts will follow. Although Helen Newman Hall must remain the name of the building, the renovation is a prime opportunity for an alumnus who would like to name Cornell Recreational Services or one of the program areas after him or herself.
The necessity of renovating Helen Newman parallels the necessity of creating a new health services facility: both efforts are important to ensure that our community is healthy and active. We must provide students with attractive fitness centers, just as we must create a new health services facility in a central and highly visible location on campus. Without a healthy community, the overarching academic mission of Cornell University will suffer.
UPDATE: Since my last column was published, the committee in charge of implementing the printing of median grades on transcripts has determined that median grades will not appear on current students’ transcripts, only those who enter in the fall of 2008 or after.
Kate Duch is a student-elected trustee. She can be contacted at khd5@cornell.edu. Trustee Viewpoint appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.
Last weekend, more than 300 members of the Board of Trustees and the University Council assembled at Cornell for the 57th annual Trustee/Council Weekend. The three-day event was filled with meetings and gatherings, both public and private. Students were able to interact with Trustees and Council members during events such as a scholarship reception for undergraduates and a weekly “TGIF” at the Big Red Barn for graduate students. The Committee on Student Life also invited one current student and one recent graduate to a committee meeting to discuss students’ views on one of the most important topics of the weekend: health and wellness.
Our university provides students with a wide array of services, programs and facilities related to student health and wellness. The purpose of our University Health Services is to “serve Cornell’s academic mission through the creation and support of a healthy campus community in which each student may participate fully in intellectual and personal growth.” Gannett receives 88,000 visits annually from students, faculty and staff with approximately 20,000 of those visits relating to mental health. The services provided at Gannett are utilized by 76 percent of students and 53 percent of faculty and staff.
Unfortunately, the Gannett facility is too small to meet the current or projected demands for health services. Because the facility must more than double its current size to adequately serve the long-term needs of the Cornell community, the university is searching for a location for an expanded facility. Several suggestions are under consideration, including sites on Central campus and on the periphery of campus. I am advocating for a site on Central campus because I believe that location is a major factor for students in deciding whether to utilize health services. About half of all visits to Gannett are spontaneous or “walk-in” visits by students who may have neglected to seek treatment if doing so would have been inconvenient. Untreated medical and mental health problems not only endanger the health of individuals but also threaten the well-being of the entire community. Additionally, when students view their peers entering and exiting Gannett, the use of health services is “normalized” and students may be more inclined to seek care when necessary. A central facility also accentuates the university’s prioritization of physical and mental health and reinforces President Skorton’s vision for building a “caring community.”
Another major component of student health and wellness is fitness. Cornell boasts five fitness sites on campus with one site open from 6 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. on weekdays. Over half of all students and nearly 70 percent of freshmen purchased a membership to the Cornell Fitness Centers during the 2006-2007 academic year. Approximately 40 percent of students who enrolled in physical education classes had already completed their two-semester physical education requirement, and over 7,500 students and staff participated in at least one intramural event during the year.
Amidst the high utilization of fitness and recreational programs by students, the facilities for these services are limited. Most notably, Helen Newman Hall desperately needs substantial renovations to attract students to the facility. When constructed in 1963 for Women's Physical Education, Helen Newman was a state-of-the-art facility with a beautiful view of Beebe Lake. The view still exists, but far fewer individuals choose to enjoy it due to the deterioration of the facility that has occurred over the past 44 years.
The recent opening of Noyes on West Campus highlights the need for attractive facilities in promoting student fitness. Since January, the number of visits to the Noyes fitness center has experienced a five-fold increase. In addition to a state-of-the-art fitness center, Noyes includes a gymnasium, a multipurpose room for fitness classes and other events, a climbing wall, a game room with free ping-pong and pool tables, two lounges and a convenience store with healthy food options. To promote healthy lifestyles and to alleviate overcrowding at other fitness centers on campus, Helen Newman must include the same high-quality equipment and amenities that Noyes provides.
While the renovation of Helen Newman is a priority in the “Far Above…” capital campaign, fundraising efforts for this purpose have only resulted in relatively small donations to date. The hope among those involved in the fundraising is that the university will receive one major lead gift and that many other significant gifts will follow. Although Helen Newman Hall must remain the name of the building, the renovation is a prime opportunity for an alumnus who would like to name Cornell Recreational Services or one of the program areas after him or herself.
The necessity of renovating Helen Newman parallels the necessity of creating a new health services facility: both efforts are important to ensure that our community is healthy and active. We must provide students with attractive fitness centers, just as we must create a new health services facility in a central and highly visible location on campus. Without a healthy community, the overarching academic mission of Cornell University will suffer.
UPDATE: Since my last column was published, the committee in charge of implementing the printing of median grades on transcripts has determined that median grades will not appear on current students’ transcripts, only those who enter in the fall of 2008 or after.
Kate Duch is a student-elected trustee. She can be contacted at khd5@cornell.edu. Trustee Viewpoint appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.
In Response to Student Health and Wellness column by Kate Duch
Kate Duch is right on point; it would be a horrible disservice to the students if Cornell put the new Gannett Health Center off-campus. I am shocked to hear that they would even consider this as an option. It is a difficult process for an individual to come to terms with the fact that he or she needs the assistance of a mental health professional. Cornell MUST do everything in its powers to make this painful experience as easy as possible for its students. It is essential that everyone at Gannett Health Center and in the community at large makes this point as clear as possible to the administration.
Duch also says that a centrally located Gannett will help reduce the stigma that accompanies a Gannett visit. Although I wish this was true, much more needs to be done to reduce the irrational beliefs that the general population has about mental diseases.