Reporter Volume 25, No.9 October 28, 1993

By DAVID HIMMELGREEN
Reporter Staff
Mid-terms are coming and many students are stressed out, not eating
well, and looking a bit haggard. NowUs the time to discover the
offerings of the Living Well Center, located in room 223 on the second
floor of the Student Union. 
	ItUs the place to read pamphlets on good nutrition, to find
out the date of the next life workshop on stress reduction, or check
out one of the many health-related videos. This could mark the
beginning of a better and healthier life.
	The Living Well Center, which is funded by mandatory student
fees, is open to students and faculty who want to learn about
wellness, said Ron Ingalsbe, Director of the Living Well Center.
	Wellness, as coined by Halbert Dunn in his 1961 book "High
Level Wellness" is defined as philosophy whereby "physical, mental,
and spiritual health are integrated," Ingalsbe said, adding it
provides a framework that anybody can use to facilitate
self-fulfillment.
	"Moving from Ellicott to the Student Union has given us a lot
more exposure to the students, said Mary-Jo Barrettini, nurse educator
at the Living Well Center, who added that "We're now reaching out to
everybody and to all different groups. Students are always dropping by
and asking what we're all about and how we can help them. This is
important in a place like UB where it's easy to get lost in the
crowd," she said.
	Accenting physical, mental, and spiritual health, the Living
Well Center maintains a proactive approach to wellness where
individuals are encouraged, "through assistance from the staff and
peer educators to achieve higher levels of wellness," Ingalsbe
explained.
	"We, along with other groups, such as the Counseling Center,
offer workshops on stress reduction, yoga, Tai-Chi, and fitness and
nutrition," he said. 
	For example, the ten-day Tai-Chi workshops teach a Chinese
form of exercise which Rintegrates the body and mind through gentle
flowing movement," Ingalsbe said. Other activities such as the stress
and time management workshop are especially geared towards student
life. "Lots of students are under a lot of pressure because of
academic obligations, and this particular workshop helps them to
efficiently manage their time and reduce unhealthy stress," he said.
	Another objective of the Center is to provide health education
and prevention. With its newly opened library, the Living Well Center
provides a myriad of books, magazines, pamphlets, brochures, journals,
audio tapes and videos on health education. 
	"You can get information on how to control your blood
pressure, how to exercise properly, or to achieve weight management
through healthy eating," Ingalsbe said. In addition there are videos
on preventing the spread of AIDS, and "you can even get your blood
pressure checked or determine how much body fat you have with our
Futrex body composition machine," he said.
	In the coming months the Center will introduce computer
interactive programs that students will be able to use to assess their
own lifestyles. The programs, which are easy to use, ask questions
about health practices and lifestyle. Students will then be rated
based on their answers, and the computer will provide suggestions for
healthier living, Ingalsbe said. "It a great learning and motivating
tool," he added.
	In addition to its role in providing health education and
encouraging prevention, the Center is reaching out to those students
at UB who may feel excludedQ"students with disabilities, minority
students, women, single parents and others," said Toby Bloom
Schoellkopf, Coordinator of the Living Well Center.
	"We're trying to develop a program to help these students to
set priorities based on their own needs. We ask them what they need,
instead of telling them what they need. At the same time we do not
want to separate them from the wider student population but rather
embrace them in the context of diversity," Schoellkopf said.
	The staff and student volunteers at the Living Well Center are
excited about the future and hope to build a larger outreach program
that will encourage many more students to attain wellness. "We're just
in the infant stage," Schoellkopf said, adding that "we have a lot
more to do in the upcoming months."
	"Part of our success is that we don't dictate, we facilitate
and educate," Barrettini said. "So students should drop by the office
and check out what we have to offer. Our door is always open,"
Ingalsbe pointed out.