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ARTS & CULTURE
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KANSAN.COM | SECTION B | WEDNESDAY, AUG.19, 2015
FILE PHOTO
Steve Hetro, a junior from Overland Park, explains the advantages of joining Hawks Nest to inquiring students at the Hawk Week Block Party last year.
Annual Hawk Week kick-off revives Campus Carnival event
KATE MILLER
@ Kate Miller
Orientation is a whirlwind for newcomers to the University, from swift tours through campus to numerous information sessions. But however crazy orientation week is, the week before classes begin is possibly even crazier — packing into Memorial Stadium to learn how to "wave the wheat," pushing through a crowded Union to grab freebies and, this year, spinning around on carnival rides are all a part of Hawk Week Hawk Week is the annual kick-off to the new academic year, tailored for students new to the University. Weeklong activities include "Signature Events" Traditions Night, Union Fest and Hawk Fest, among others as well as smaller events across campus starting Thursday, Aug. 20.
No matter the size, all of the events serve to accomplish the same goal: connecting students to their campus in as many ways as possible.
"It's really critical for students to make connections on campus, connecting to their peers; getting to know other people that might be living around them in their residence hall," said Katie Treadwell, associate director for orientation programs at the University's Office of First Year Experience. "It really helps to build that foundation of relationships that can support their success at KU." Treadwell, who has been a part of the Office for two years, works with a team to determine which events become a part of Hawk Week. Events are submitted to the team by partners in May, and the Office reviews the submissions for certain stipulations.
"We make sure the events fit within the program goals: making those connections both socially and academically, starting classes the right way". Treadwell said. "We want to make sure the events are about welcoming and engaging students, that they prepare students for involvement both in their classes and co-curricular involvement, and then helping students to explore opportunities on campus."
The Office doesn't plan the events of Hawk Week, but does support those partners and organizations that do, Treadwell said.
This year's Hawk Week brings back an old classic: the Campus Carnival, which is put on by Student Union Activities.
"We wanted to have a big international welcome and a big welcome back for students that was open for
everyone, including faculty and staff", said Hannah Hall,
SUA vice president of alumni and faculty relations. "We wanted to have this carnival to kind of unify everyone at the beginning of the year
"We want students to have an amazing first week on campus and to feel like they made the right decision by coming to KU."
KATIE TREADWELL
KATIE TREADWELL Associate Director, Orientation Programs
and to have just a really fun, unifying experience with the whole campus."
The carnival has been absent for two years, but a fee review process by Student Senate made it possible for the event to be brought back this fall. At 5 p.m. on Aug. 29 in the Lied Center parking lot.
anyone with a KU student ID will be able to ride full-size carnival rides, eat typical fairstyle food and explore booths with games, a fortuneteller and a tattoo artists. Each person will receive 10 free tickets for use at the carnival.
"Hawk Week is a great way to bring everyone on campus together," Hall said. "Obviously, it's great for the freshmen to all mingle with each other right before school starts and get to know each other[...] but one thing that I'm excited about with the carnival is that it's open to anyone with a KU 1D. It's a way for the whole campus, essentially, to just get together and start off the year on a great note, which I think is really awesome."
The 2015 convocation marks the 150th anniversary of the University's founding, and Treadwell said several former chancellors plan to
return for convocation and participate in Hawk Week activities such as discussions of the Common Book — "A Farewell to Arms." However, she couldn't name specific chancellors as details were still being worked out at the time of press.
Treadwell works closely with students throughout their recruitment and admission process. She said she appreciates Hawk Week's ability to make the students she has grown to know more comfortable with their transition to college.
"We want students to have an amazing first week on campus and to feel like they made the right decision by coming to KU and feel really comforted and at home here," Treadwell said. "Also, to start classes successfully because we know that's the most important thing and that's why people are here."
Avoiding a 'freshman 15' with healthy lifestyle habits
RYAN MILLER
@Ryanmiller_UDK
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY VICKY DIAZ-CAMACHO/KANSAN In 2013, almost half of KU students reported trying to lose weight during college, according to the National College Health Assessment.
The dreaded so-called freshman 15 — or extra 15 pounds gained after a student's first year at college — has haunted incoming college freshmen for years. And, according to recent studies, the myth has some truth to it.
Kelsey Fortin, a health educator for Watkins, said that weight gain was common during freshman year, and there was research to back it up. She said that the weight gain might not always be 15 pounds, but was typically closer to five to seven pounds, with a few more added during sophomore year.
"I think it is important for students to make the mind-body connection," Fortin said. "It is so important to take care of your physical health in order to excel in an academic world"
Kirsti Rooks, a junior from Overland Park, said she experienced the freshman 15.
"I gained my freshman 15 and a little more," Rooks said. "It was mainly going out and coming back with my friends and getting like pizza or Burger Stand, and it all added up." Rocks said the freshman 15 was part of the college experience, and said others should not get discouraged.
"It's comforting to know you're not the only one going through it," she said.
"As a young adult coming to college, this is a crucial developmental phase for lifestyle habits."
KELSEY FORTIN Health Educator at Watkins
After her freshman year. Rooks said she added vegetables to her diet to combat the weight gain. She also started a workout regimen that she could do by herself or with her roommate, which included taking walks and using the recreation center on campus.
"My advice would be to mon
itor your portions, and add vegetables," she said. "I think I would've been OK if I had watched what I was eating; I kind of went crazy."
In 2013, almost half of KU students reported trying to lose weight during college, according to the National College Health Assessment. Additionally, only 6 percent of KU students said they consumed five or more servings of fruits or vegetables a day
"Being a freshman may be a lifestyle, but it doesn't harbor gaining weight, and there are
The Obesity Prevention Source website at Harvard states that poor food choices like fast food and sweetened beverages contribute to weight gain.
ways to avoid it," said Conner Brown, a senior from Pleasanton, Calif.
Brown said he wasn't worried about the freshman 15 in his first year at college. He said he grew up eating healthy, on a vegetarian diet, and played sports. He said he wanted to stay healthy while in college and utilized the resources to do so.
Fortin said that having the self control to make healthy choices was one of the biggest challenges for students. She said students in residence halls with a dining plan had access to an all-you-can-eat buffet for every meal.
A healthy lifestyle "just makes sense," he said. "People stigmatize it like they have to try hard, but if you just make it a habit, being healthy really benefits you more than just like eating well and feeling good. It carries throughout the rest of your life."
"There are healthy options available, but it takes the knowledge base and willingness to engage in healthy habits to choose them," Fortin said.
For Brown, it was a no-brainer to eat the healthier options. He had a dining plan but ate nutritious foods and went to the Rec Center or was active with friends.
The University has several initiatives to help students eat better and be healthier, like the Eat Well Live Well
Eat Well Live Well is a six-week-long weight management program where students meet with her one-on-one. Each week, they discuss a new topic area and develop two goals for the student, she said.
program implemented in fall 2013 at Watkins.
Fortin said students could choose to take measurements, including weight and blood pressure, to track progress throughout the program.
Another program, Cook Well Live Well, is a monthly nutrition and cooking class at the Health Center. Fortin said KU Dining did a lot on campus by
The overall key to avoiding the freshman 15 and leading a healthy lifestyle for college students is to take control of their body and health, and to be proactive.
providing healthy options in the residence halls and across campus, like foods labeled "Better Bites" that can help a student identify healthier options.
"As a young adult coming to college, this is a crucial developmental phase for lifestyle habits," Fortin said. As a student, "[I] am able to create a healthy routine now, and stick with it, that will have
"You're going out into the world and being responsible for yourself, and gaining weight may be one consequence of not taking care of yourself," he said. "No one is going to tell you to go to the gym: friends might encourage you and that's good, but you really have to take the step yourself."
Brown agrees. He said living a healthy lifestyle, whether by working out regularly or eating healthy, was part of becoming an adult in college.
a major impact on me for the future," she said.
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