As a culminating activity for Heart Month, the First Year Experience 101 class provided displays and informational flyers as well as interviewing students about heart disease in the McCall Dining Hall. During the month of February the students researched various factors that lead to heart disease. A survey was distributed by the class, taught by Carolyn Collier, to students which asked what factors they have that could lead to heart disease. (The results will be recorded in their service-learning journals).
Collier’s class prepared and presented reports on heart disease and how obesity, high cholesterol, tobacco (smoking and second hand smoke), diabetes, lack of exercise and genetics all are contributors to heart disease.
As an additional activity the FYE students completed a heart health family tree using both maternal and paternal grandparents, mother and father, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings and themselves. At least three generations were investigated; therefore, each student would be aware of what to look for and to guard against to prevent heart disease.
The FYE class was amazed at what they learned during the process and how interested the students were in wanting information to guard against heart disease. Gwendolyn Giles and Brenda Williams of McCall Dining Hall were very pleased with the students display and the information that was given advocating good health.
They also stressed that dining services ensure that students are provided with a healthy menu each day that includes all food groups and that food is prepared with 0 trans fats.