Program Director for the Center for Health Promotion, Nancy Reynolds, works hard every day to help foster a culture of college student health and wellness among the IC population. As part of her position, Reynolds maintains the center’s initiative with the online magazine Student Health 101. This magazine, aimed towards college students, explores common issues such as substance use, fitness, nutrition, stress, sleep and mental, emotional and sexual health. Our most recent CAMPUS CELEBRITY, Nancy Reynolds, tells us a little more about her position and health and wellness on our campus:
Position: Program Director for the Center for Health Promotion
Favorite restaurant in Ithaca: Agava
College and College Major: Undergrad at SUNY Cortland majoring in Spanish, Received a masters in public health in graduate school
Tell me a little about yourself and how you ended up at Ithaca College:
“I have a master in public health and I have been focusing in the college health field for over 30 years. This is the 5th college I’ve worked at. It’s always really exciting to get to know a new campus culture and try to make sure that I’m customizing my work in health promotion to the specific needs of every personality on each campus.”
What is the Student Health 101 and what is its goal?:
“Student Health 101 is an online e-magazine. Ithaca College has a subscription to the magazine so we can customize it for our campus. The goal is to help and warn students about ways to stay healthy while they’re here at college and also inform them about our campus resources to help them stay healthy. There’s a lot of content in there that’s relevant to college students such as physical health, mental health, financial health, career health, sexual health, substance use, relationships, and the content changes every month. All of it is focused on college students’ experience and how to keep them healthy and successful through college.”
What is your position like here at IC?:
“I am a health educator for the college. I’m responsible for helping to promote the health and wellness of IC students. My primary focus is on substance abuse, prevention and counseling, with my other focus being promoting Student Health 101.”
What are some the hot topics for college student health right now?:
“Students are always interested in nutrition, how to get healthy, how to find healthy foods on campus in the dining halls and in their resident halls. It’s one of the major topics of Student Health 101. There are many videos in there of college students preparing healthy food and snacks to eat on the run. Another hot topic is sexual health and relationships and sexual violence prevention. Another hot issue and a really important one is substance abuse: how to have fun in college but at the same time reduce the negative consequences.”
Why is it important to talk about health in college students?:
“Health is really fundamental to being successful in college. If you’re not eating well, or sleeping well, or not getting enough physical activity, that can really impact your ability to focus in class and your ability to maintain the fast pace of college life. Most of our students are taking a full course load and also working internships or on sports teams. It’s a very fast-paced environment, and you really need to make sure that you’re engaging in healthy practices to keep your body in prime shape to meet the challenges of that.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?:
“The most challenging part of my job is keeping up with the demand. I’m a one-person center, and we have a lot of students who need and want services. Keeping up with the demand for counseling and what we need to be doing for prevention programs is important. Health and wellness is such a broad issue and it’s very complex. There’s a lot of interest and a high demand for tools and strategies and programs for students.”
As college-aged women, what are some important health issues we should know about?:
“I would go back to the issue of substance use. Women have specific risk areas that are important to be aware of. For instance, women tend to be a smaller body size than men. So we’re not able to maintain the same pace of drinking as males. If you’re drinking in a mix gendered group, that can be challenging for students. It’s really important to plan ahead what you want to get out of your night, and plan accordingly. Substance abuse can really impact a lot of other areas of life, like your ability to be safe and keep a sense of control over your behavior.”