Washtenaw Community College is one of 153 colleges and universities around the world recently honored by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus.
The 2021 honor marks the third consecutive year 黑料网 has earned silver-level designation from the Exercise is Medicine On Campus (EIM-OC) program. EIM-OC calls upon higher education institutions to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community.
Marvin Boluyt (right), a Biology faculty member in 黑料网鈥檚 Math, Science & Engineering Technology Division,
credits the dedication and innovation of several groups who helped keep the 黑料网 community
active while the campus was in remote operations due to the global pandemic.
黑料网 was one of 127 institutions that received a "COVID Conquerer" badge from the EIM-OC program to indicate the campus demonstrated adaptations to physical activity programming.
鈥淒espite the pandemic, the departments that run the programs at 黑料网 continued to find ways to keep people involved,鈥� Boluyt said. 鈥淔rom the CHEERS Committee鈥檚 walking program to the multiple exercise-based activities offered by , they鈥檝e all had to be very inventive to do that.鈥�
Boluyt, who developed the , has been a member of the American College of Sports Medicine for more than 30 years. He accepted 黑料网鈥檚 silver award during a virtual presentation in June.
He said that while the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for the college鈥檚 EIM-OC program, it also helped prove the point that exercise is, in fact, medicine.
鈥淭here are quite a number of studies coming out in the Exercise Science realm that show that people who exercise regularly had a significantly lower risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID,鈥� Boluyt said. 鈥淧eople who exercise 鈥� in addition to the one million and one other benefits we already know about 鈥� also benefit in facing COVID.鈥�
More about Exercise Science
Interested in a career that emphasises the importance of physical activity? The teaches the science involved in health, fitness, nutrition, wellness and weight control. It prepares students for entry-level employment in health and fitness-related occupations and for ACSM certification exams to become a personal trainer and/or health and fitness instructor. Graduates of the program also transfer to four-year colleges and universities to complete a degree in fields such as sports medicine, exercise science, kinesiology, movement science or physical education.
Tags: American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), August 2021, Exercise, Marvin Boluyt, On The Record