Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Happy Sunday, y', all, and welcome back. Oh, my goodness, Whitney. To see you live and in person is amazing. You guys. You are listening to Fit to be tied on 90.7 to Capstone. Hello, my friend.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: Hello, my friend. I will say it has been kind of a crazy ride because I would say, what, for maybe a year and a half. We did zooming first.
[00:00:32] Speaker C: You did.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: Which I'm really great at zooming now. I have my camera angles perfect. I know how to, like, fix my filter so that I look really great in the camera. So now that we're in real life, I'm like, man, I gotta wear makeup again.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: I know. I had, you know, I purchased a ring light. All the things you did.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: I saw that. Yes.
[00:00:49] Speaker A: Your skin looks fabulous, by the way.
[00:00:50] Speaker B: So in person. Thank you. Thank you. You look wonderful.
[00:00:53] Speaker A: But, you know, first, we have to acknowledge it's the beginning of a semester and, you know, we just came off of summer. What were you up to this summer?
[00:01:02] Speaker B: You know, that's a good question, because I kind of prepping myself thinking, okay, Sheena's gonna ask me what I did this summer, and I need to, like, have, you know, some things in my, you know, I. I spent a lot of time outside doing, like, yard work and stuff. It was pretty hot. I mean, let's. Let's be real. It was pretty hot. But I just love being outside. Bought some cool lights for the little patio, have a little cool outside sitting area, went to the beach, did a little traveling. It was. It was really good. What about you?
[00:01:28] Speaker A: We. We did a few beach trips, and then I know you and I have kind of casually texted over the summer, and I did what a little bit of a tour de fitness to kind of figure out what would be practical for me in the season of life wrangling two kids and the husband. And I may or may not have told you, I dabbled in a little CrossFit, realized it was not for me, you know, very appreciative of that culture and community, but was not necessarily. It did not align with my personal fitness goals, with, you know, what I needed to do. And honestly, all of the Olympic lifts were really scary to me. And so I just.
I found myself practicing in the mirror a lot using a PVC pipe. And I'm sure that, you know, members at the gym that I was going to probably thought I was really silly, but I was like, oh, my goodness, this is really consuming a lot of my time, which isn't a bad thing. But it was an interesting experience, and it gave me a New appreciation of that gym culture and community. Because I see how much those athletes work at what they do.
[00:02:34] Speaker B: You're right. It is. You know, we always kind of, you know, CrossFit is definitely not my thing. Just being a Pilates and yoga instructor and my, like, mind body connection. But there is a mind body connection in CrossFit. And I. I think that you tapped into that thinking about, like, how your mechanics of your body move using the PVC pipe so you can practice good range of motion and form. So I think that CrossFit is just for different people, different strokes for different folks. And I think it's good as long as it keeps you motivated, which is what we always talk about on our show is being well and finding things to keep you well rounded and fit and moving and.
Yeah, that's great.
[00:03:09] Speaker A: Yes. So it was good. Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, doing that, I'm trying to think what else we did this summer. You know, you mentioned going to the beach. I went to the beach a couple of times. Everybody needs a little vitamin C. Everybody
[00:03:21] Speaker B: needs a little vitamin C. With your sunscreen on.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: Yes, with your sunscreen.
[00:03:25] Speaker A: I know. Well, and it was funny because I use.
I will be on it. I use SPF 100. Does SPF 100 really work? I don't know.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: You have a nice complexion to your skin. You're not like me, where I just get freckles.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: This is actually gonna be really interesting because we're live streaming right now on Dr. Perez's account. But the bathing suits that I wore at the beach, I'm a very conservative person, and I just was not thinking about what tan lines.
[00:03:52] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:03:53] Speaker A: So this is what's going on right now. And this is actually kind of lightened up a little bit. It was actually a lot darker. So I've had to be very strategic with the types of sleeves I have.
[00:04:02] Speaker B: I'm just jealous of your Filipino tan going on here. Cause it's awesome. And I'm just. Like I said, I've been outside all summer, and I have nothing to show for it.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: Version of a farmer's tan right now.
But, you know, you and I, we like to go off the cuff in our welcoming conversations.
So speaking of that, getting back on topic, let's tell our listeners what they can expect with this shebang show that we're doing.
[00:04:27] Speaker B: Well, if you're watching on Dr. Perez's live feed, then you kind of know what's going on. And if you're listening to us, then you have an idea.
Dr. Perez, he basically is our leader in our wellness model. And we like to get his expertise on what he views wellness for students and for our faculty staff. And just, you know, being mindful of those things. And let's be real, we've had a lot of pressures over the past year that being well has been something that we've been focusing on at the forefront. So I don't know, I'm pretty excited about having Dr. Perez on today.
[00:05:00] Speaker A: I am too. You know, we always brag that we have the best guests. And so, you know, Whitney, I know you and I, over the summer, we were thinking, okay, you know, for this first show of the semester, we gotta bring in the big guns. And, you know, that's right.
Also, too, I like to make Dr. Perez, like, chuckle about this. But, y', all, we are leaving you on the seat of your pants. Go grab a beverage. It's hot. Put on some sunscreen. If you're listening outside, do all the things you need to do. We're taking a break. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7 to Capstone.
[00:05:36] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:05:42] Speaker A: Welcome back.
[00:05:43] Speaker B: You're listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90 the capstone.
[00:05:47] Speaker A: And, you know, we're just trying to
[00:05:48] Speaker B: get our rhythm again, being in person, you know, masked up and, you know, we've got our mic and luckily we're not having to wear our headsets because when I had to teach with my headset on and my face mask, it was like the most suffocating feeling. So when I walked in and I saw this, I thought, okay, this is great, because we don't have to worry about all that headgear and everything. But anyway, continuing on because, you know, we always get off topic, but Dr. Perez is with us on the show. Welcome.
[00:06:14] Speaker D: Thank you so much. It's exciting to be here.
[00:06:16] Speaker B: Well, we are very excited that you are here.
[00:06:18] Speaker A: And for those of you who have not had the privilege of interacting with Dr. Perez, he is our associate vice president for student health and well being in the division of student life. And so what we like to do in the beginning, Dr. Perez with our guests, you know, we gotta know all about you. We gotta. We gotta know the deets. And so we love to kind of open it up and share a little bit about your hometown, your academic and professional background prior to coming to ua.
[00:06:43] Speaker C: No.
[00:06:44] Speaker D: Thanks for having me, Whitney. Sheena, this is a lot of fun for me. I'm glad we're able to find some time Here this year. I know the last couple years have been kind of crazy, particularly with everything going on. So it's been great to be with people in person.
So in terms of my own background, I'm originally from the Philippines. So I immigrated from the Philippines when I was a wee lad and my parents were both physicians. And so in, in immigrating to the states and sort of relocating in different places, hometown is really, I consider hometown to be Danville, Virginia. So Danville, Virginia is on the border of North Carolina, Virginia, meeting size city, Milltown.
Really wonderful place to.
To grow up. So shout out to any Danville folks out there.
[00:07:34] Speaker C: And then in terms of college, I had my.
[00:07:39] Speaker D: Went up to Boston College for my undergraduate. My master's degree majored in theology and biology as an undergraduate.
[00:07:46] Speaker B: Oh, nice.
[00:07:47] Speaker C: Which.
[00:07:47] Speaker D: Which is really.
I didn't know how that would translate into what I'm doing now or whatever.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:07:52] Speaker D: In terms of my career, my career as a psychologist. But it was body and soul kind of combination, I think, is what I was working out there.
So.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: Yeah, well, you know, and one of the things I was going to ask with that because I feel like, you know, when we've had casual conversations and then we talk schools, you definitely had a footprint at, you know, various institutions, whether as a student or professionally.
Give me a rundown of all the schools that you have, you know, touched in some kind of way, because then I want to know, who are you rooting for in sports?
[00:08:24] Speaker D: Sure.
[00:08:24] Speaker A: Because that's important.
[00:08:25] Speaker D: So there was Stokes Elementary School, Tennessee.
My older girl is 4209 Granny White Pike. I can't believe I still remember that. But anyway, so Boston College for my undergrad, for my master's degree degree, University of Missouri before they were part of the sec, for my doctoral degree in counseling psychology and then my internship at the University of Florida Counseling Center.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:08:49] Speaker D: And then from there, my first position as a psychologist was at the University of Georgia Counseling center and then went back to University of Florida for an assistant director degree. Spent some time at Georgia Tech as director of their center for 12 years before coming here in 2007.
[00:09:06] Speaker A: So do you root for everybody? Yeah. Or have you kind of, you know, cherry picked?
[00:09:11] Speaker C: You know, there was a time before
[00:09:12] Speaker D: all this realignment happened where every football Saturday, I could guarantee winning football Saturday.
Not anymore. Right. So since BC realignment, the acc, all this madness is actually now happening with Big Ten and sec, I root for Alabama.
[00:09:32] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:09:34] Speaker C: Right.
[00:09:35] Speaker D: Pure and simple.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Keep it simple.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: As they say on family.
[00:09:38] Speaker B: Good answer, good answer, good answer. Is that all family, few.
[00:09:41] Speaker A: I think
[00:09:44] Speaker D: this is a confession that I'll make now, but one of my considerations in choosing a position or things of that sort is where that university or college stands in their NCAA rankings. And so a friend of mine will say, well, you're stuck here now.
I think that's probably tr. It's stuck in a good way.
[00:10:04] Speaker B: Yes, that's right. That's right.
[00:10:06] Speaker A: Well, I like that, you know, because I think that's not always information that our general student body is privy to. So, you know, and especially too, since we're live streaming, we've got to, you know, we got to share some of
[00:10:18] Speaker D: the fun details, spill the tea, that kind of thing.
[00:10:21] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't know.
[00:10:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't know how that came up.
[00:10:24] Speaker B: You know, it's, you know, when you're just doing radio, you just got to say fun things like that. That's just how they work.
You know, I always get really interested in talking to individuals and just I love to hear people's backgrounds and I feel like it always kind of makes sense because you have a very soothing presence and voice. And when you said you had the psychologist background, I was like, yes, yes, I can sense that. Yes. So that's awesome. Well, you know, just working in higher ed and especially in your position now, what experiences, even as a student, you know, has helped form your interest in this career in higher education?
[00:11:00] Speaker D: Yeah, so I never really had as my career path, higher education, but I think in terms of my work with students in graduate school, it really pointed me to a career in counseling centers in higher education.
So that's really where I've really focused on. And I enjoy being around students, I enjoy being a part of their lives and helping them in ways that I feel hopefully effective.
And it's just very rewarding to be a part of students lives and their experience in that way.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: I think Sheena and I both feel that way. I mean, we've known each other for, I mean, since undergrad or grad school or. Yeah, something like that.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: It's just been a long time.
[00:11:41] Speaker B: We've just. You've taken my boot camp classes. I've always worked with you on stuff and like we've seen the changes of students and they. There has been a change, you know, and I think that's something that we're going to really get into, I think, you know, later in our show. But just especially with the pandemic, how it's starting to shape, I guess, behaviors and things like that. But for me, I love working with students because it always kind of reminds me like when I was a student and I'm like, man, I remember walking the rec center and being like, I'm going to be an instructor. And now I hire instructors and I teach them and it's just, I don't know. Do you feel the same way?
[00:12:12] Speaker A: I do. And you know, Whitney, I know you and I, we've had conversations before where, you know, when we think about like the specific vocations that we have or the specific trainings, like I would have never imagined I'd have the opportunity to be a registered dietitian within the division of Student Life and get to, to interact with students the way that I do, as opposed to just doing things clinically and not having that opportunity. So that's actually what I really always valued about our division as a whole is really those what I would kind of call non traditional experiences that really let you have those touch points with
[00:12:46] Speaker D: the students and really rewarding in ways that is hard to describe.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think it might have been Robert Hayes, who used to be in our division. He, whenever they had made the name change from Student affairs to Student Life, he had made a little jingle basically saying that we want to be part of the students lives as a part versus their private affairs. And so I just, I sounds like Robin, so I always think about that.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: So anyways, I miss his jingles because remember at our student Life meetings, he'd get up there and do his little poems slash raps and I was like, man, we gotta get that guy a gig.
[00:13:21] Speaker D: He's good. I've had him on the show sometimes.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Yes, we do need a guest.
[00:13:25] Speaker D: Now that this is your seventh year.
[00:13:27] Speaker A: I can't believe.
[00:13:28] Speaker D: Right?
[00:13:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:13:30] Speaker D: Huge.
[00:13:30] Speaker A: It's huge.
We're going to plan a celebration. And so Dr. Prez, I'm glad that you've mentioned that because that lets us know you're in support of us celebrating. Yes, for sure.
So, you know, one of the other things that we want to talk about, you know, we've got a couple more minutes before we need to take a break. But in terms of the areas that you oversee, I don't think we actually let you talk about what your role is here at ua. I think we got so excited talking about your background and then it's like, well, what the heck does this man do on the University of Alabama campus? So what do you do on the University of Alabama campus, Dr. Perez?
[00:14:09] Speaker D: Great question, great question. And so this role was created or established in 2017. So I've had the distinct Honor of actually sort of inaugurating this role, which is huge, but it also allows some creativity that I enjoy.
So in terms of my charge is really developing a holistic model and outlook for student health and well being, which we've accomplished the last couple of years. And so as part of that, I oversee our counseling center, Collegiate Recovery Intervention services, University Recreation, Health promotion and wellness, and our women and gender resource center. And so combined, I like to refer to them as our core departments for student health and well being and the programs that they serve.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: Yes. Well, you know, I just, I think I got so excited about you on the show and us spilling the tea about you that we, I didn't know the specific details of what you do. And so I love the fact that you were able to share with us which specific areas within the division that you oversee. And we want to talk more about that. But you guys, we got to take a break. You know, it's one of those things. We need you to have a bathroom break, grab the beverages. All the things you are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:15:31] Speaker B: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
Welcome back. You're listening to fit to be Thai with Sheena Whitney. And we have Dr. Perez on our show today learning about his title and his job and you know what? The Alabama wellness model. Did I say that correctly?
[00:15:48] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: Awesome. Which we talk about a lot on the show. Oh, so can we get a raise? Since we do. I'm just kidding.
[00:15:56] Speaker A: It actually is the framework.
[00:15:57] Speaker B: It really is the guests that we
[00:15:59] Speaker A: have and the topics that we cover.
And you know, just going on that. Dr. Perez, tell our listeners a little bit about the Alabama model for those that may not be familiar with it.
[00:16:10] Speaker C: Sure, sure. So our Alabama model really is our model for student health and well being that encompasses a very broad and holistic array of dimensions that comprise student health and well being.
It was. It's a model that was generated by students for students is what I like to say, as my advisory council had sort of hands on involvement with it. So it encompasses seven dimensions of health and well being that students here regard as important for their academic and their personal success and growth, all the way from academic to spiritual well being.
And there are different ways that the model supports and encourages student health throughout their time here at the university.
And we also link different departments and resources to each of those different dimensions, too. So it was one of the things that was a big charge for me in my first couple years and so we've been able to get that accomplished, and I think it's off to a good start.
[00:17:11] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, with the seven dimensions, do you feel like there is actually a particular area that sometimes folks are a little surprised is on there? I know that even just in anecdotal conversations that I'll have with students and I talk about the offerings that we have within our own department in health promotion and wellness, and we talk about financial wellness, it blows my mind, you know, talking to people who maybe aren't in higher education and we'll say, oh, we actually cover financial wellness for students. And even just that terminology of financial wellness, sometimes I think the outsider may not necessarily think of that as like a wellness component.
[00:17:49] Speaker C: Right, right. So that's. I think that's very true. I think financial wellness, certainly spiritual wellness and well being are probably the two that may surprise people. I think with financial wellness and well being, it's about the quality of life and being able to not only gain skills and knowledge to manage money, how to invest and how to be smart with all your financial dealings, but also how to be thoughtful in ways to maximize either your earning potential or the income or just managing a budget so you have a quality of life that you like for yourself and moving forward. And these are life skills that we hopefully are able to instill in students while they're here and that they're lifelong skills that they can carry with with them as they leave and graduate from the university.
[00:18:40] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:18:41] Speaker B: You know, when I think about financial wellness, I mean, money stresses people out. That's just because we always have people on talking about dealing with money, especially as a student. It's a very influential time with your money. Because, Sheena, I remember you were talking about your college experience.
Would you like to remind our listeners about the credit card incident?
[00:19:01] Speaker A: Absolutely. So I am the. So I am the quintessential person credit card companies we're targeting here. I signed up for my first credit card because I just really wanted this Alabama beach towel that they had. They were outside of Coleman Coliseum. It was right after gymnastics meet, and I was like, oh, all you need is my name and address and you'll give me this fancy towel that was so cheaply made and so thin, but it had a massive elephant on it.
[00:19:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:29] Speaker A: So I just always think about painful things I.e.
that they don't necessarily do that now.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: They don't. Thank goodness.
[00:19:40] Speaker A: No, but. Yes, but you know, Whitney, like you said. Yeah. With finances being something that can stress people out, then that overlaps into Someone's mental health as well. So I love how our Alabama model, everything is very synergistic and all encompassing. And when you think about the programming that our division does, Dr. Perez, you know, what kinds of things have you seen, like, what kind of, I guess, signature programs have you seen kind of bubble up from the use of the Alabama model and its structure?
[00:20:15] Speaker C: So first of all, I want to say that I'm glad that you're referring to it as our Alabama model and not just something that is mine, but I think it's. And I wanted it to be our model. You know, the model for students, students and their well being is for our students. So that's why I named it the Alabama Model. I think in terms of some of the signature events, I think there are a lot of things that were already happening which in some way made it really easy to design the model and to find the intersections of what we're currently doing and how it fits into our model. So, for example, around social well being, that's a huge aspect for our students as they build community, they engage with each other, particularly the last couple of years. And so I think some of those signature events certainly are. Well, we have the Tie Dye Festival this Friday, which is a real collaboration with all five departments on that. And so that's this Friday at 4, is that right?
[00:21:10] Speaker A: Yeah, 4 to 6.
[00:21:11] Speaker C: Yeah, 4 to 6.
And so that's going to be very exciting. And then I think also too, some of the things that have already existed are things like the Rising Tide tailgate, which our university programs puts on, because that really targets responsibility around game day activities, responsibility around alcohol use, and fostering a good sense of responsibility for our students around game day. So there are a number, I think, of different events that already were established that were a natural part of the the university for our Alabama model. Some newer initiatives had to focus on suicide prevention, such as our Tight Against Suicide campaign, an initiative that's really two years old now, I think.
So some newer programs have started to develop as a part of that, in addition to more cross collaboration between our departments and our division, which I really enjoy. So I know our Collegiate Recovery and Intermission Services department has cross collaborated with ERECT for some of those activities and walks and hikes. Similarly, I think our counseling center is also doing something like that as well. Right.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: I'm pretty sure they're working with CLIF and Outdoor Recreation doing things like that. And that's what I love too is sometimes you only think about, okay, the fitness and the nutrition going together or you Only think about, I don't know, counseling center and CRC going together. But they all actually can mix in.
[00:22:43] Speaker C: They really do.
[00:22:44] Speaker B: It's cool.
[00:22:44] Speaker C: They really do. And that's the whole nature behind our Alabama model. It's holistic and it doesn't separate so the mind from the body, they all work together. And mind and body are inseparable really when it comes to individual well being.
[00:22:58] Speaker B: I know Hillary over at the crc, she got together with me and she has gone through a yoga training for 12 steps. And they're going to start having meetings, meetings at our facility. So it's opening up another opportunity to have the 12 step meetings there with a yoga kind of feel to it. And I was like, yeah, girl, let's get it. Come on over. We got space, y' all need it, let's do it. So it's that type of stuff. And I always just like, especially if I have like a connection to something, I love making that happen, you know, and incorporating those things.
[00:23:29] Speaker C: And it's a lot of fun. I know our WGRC is actually partnering too with health promotion and wellness, with some programming too. So a lot of it I think is, you know, sets the ground for that kind of collaboration both within our division and across campus too, eventually.
[00:23:44] Speaker A: Sure. And you know, and with the Alabama model, and then, you know, when we think about health and wellness, you know, we can't help but also bring up Covid and the fact that we are during these pandemic times. And I was actually curious, Dr. Perez, because I think you mentioned this during our break. When we think about data collection as well, you know, what kinds of things have you been collecting with your team and wanting to put out there when it comes to this information that we're getting about students and their wellness?
[00:24:14] Speaker C: Well, what's interesting is that the student assessment that we have put in place to assess student health and well being is pretty unique to our campus. And I'm not aware of any other campuses, colleges, universities that are implementing it. So we're able to assess student well being on a daily basis. So we take a population sample, we assess well being on a daily basis versus once a semester or once a year, that type of thing. So it's really unique. And from that we've been able to gather data in real time, which has been helpful in responding to students, particularly who are having a difficult time with coping with COVID restrictions and getting in touch with them to inform them. Here are some resources that are helpful for you and just to stay connected and a number of students have responded positively about that. One of the things we hope to do this semester is to share some of that information with our division and the university to get an insight into the state of student health and well being on campus.
[00:25:15] Speaker A: I love that you share that and it sounds like, you know, we're kind of leading the way for doing that and it's not necessarily something that other universities have done. And so I want to talk more about this with you and but of course, you know, we've got to take a break for our listeners, so we're going to catch you on the flip side. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:25:43] Speaker B: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
You're listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Whitney and once again, best show ever on the radio sound waves.
[00:25:56] Speaker A: We just feel so compelled to remind our listener or listeners and we are
[00:26:02] Speaker B: not trying to brainwash you at all. Just kidding.
[00:26:06] Speaker A: And I know, you know, prior to the break, Dr. Perez, you were talking about, you know, all of the things that you've been working on in terms of, you know, us really getting some good information on our students through strategic points throughout the year in regards to their wellness. And I know that we acknowledge being during these Covid times.
So let's talk a little bit about how you've seen the areas under your wing really pivot when it comes to programming and and still having those meaningful connections with students during these pandemic times.
[00:26:42] Speaker C: Sure. I think it's been a real challenge for our areas and for the university in general to know how to pivot and in which direction to pivot because things have changed pretty significantly.
And that change has been almost the mantra for the last year and a half. Right.
I think in our areas of health and well being, each department has done well to be able to flex and to pivot as needed. So, for example, I know for our departments that offer counseling services, our Collegiate Recovery and Counseling center, wgrc, they've moved to adapting teletherapy services, which has been really, really beneficial.
And some trial and error in terms of how best to implement what are some of the legal and ethical requirements regarding that. But they did that successfully and with integrity.
I think one of the things that was a surprise in all of that has been the delivery of outreach education and programming online.
And for the most part, we were pleasantly surprised in terms of the number of students who would engage online with online programming and education and outreach. So that's something that I Think departments are going to continue to offer in some shape or form to be able to engage more students along with in person programming.
[00:28:09] Speaker A: I agree.
One thing I was just going to chime in, Whitney, I know with our masks, we're kind of giving each other the eyes of like where you go am I going to go.
But I would say with the programming that we've done in our department, with our adulting seats and mental health brown bag and still offering that on a virtual platform, is that we got so much feedback from students saying that, you know, normally if there was a deterrent of them feeling like they couldn't make it over to the FERG in time for a presentation, but now that they, they could still interact in that presentation by simply logging onto their computer and that gave us better ability to reach those students. You know, we certainly want to, we want to cater to the in person programming because I feel like our students have really wanted that. But there is something that has been very nice about the virtual programming that we still want to keep to some extent too, you know.
[00:29:02] Speaker B: Well, and I know for you, Rick, there's a population of folks that just haven't graced their presence through our doors. And so it has been very nice for us to put like some of our personal training videos, some stuff on YouTube and it's giving them a chance to try it without actually having to come in. And it's kind of their first step into fitness and doing a group class.
[00:29:23] Speaker A: It's an introverts paradise.
[00:29:25] Speaker C: It really is. And particularly with some of those personal training sessions. I've heard from some students that some of the trainers have followers now that they may not have had before.
[00:29:33] Speaker B: Yeah, right.
[00:29:34] Speaker C: And some of them are popular, which is a great testament.
[00:29:37] Speaker B: Yeah, right.
[00:29:37] Speaker C: To how successful those have been.
[00:29:39] Speaker B: It's been great. And I. And selfishly, I kind of like it when I'm having to go in between meetings and I need to do one meeting here, one meeting there, I feel like I can kind of maximize my time a little bit better because I can do zoom meetings. And I know for me I get to collaborate with faculty staff wellness and work life balance. And so when I do my webinars, I get more people listening to me than, you know, if I go on campus and do, you know, a spill about, you know, bone strengthening, whatever, I'll see if a lot of people will sign up and then they won't come. But at least even if you have me on in the background, you're at least hearing the information that I'm putting out there. So I like the hybrid. I don't like full virtual. I like a hybrid.
[00:30:19] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It seems to work for some people and that's great. I think if it is able to reach more people than typically would, then I think that's a good thing.
[00:30:30] Speaker A: Absolutely. And you know, we talked about, I think all of us mentioned, you know, getting, getting feedback from students and kind of a nice segue with that. Dr. Perez, I know that you have an advisory council on wellness that you started when you first got here. Tell us a little bit about what inspired that and the role that these students play.
[00:30:48] Speaker C: Sure. Well, and it's a group that is really near and dear to my heart. I'll say.
They're celebrating their fifth year this year, so I'm really proud of them and their work.
So when I started here at the university, I knew I wanted to work with students in some capacity.
And one of the things that I was able to do at Georgia Tech was to establish an advisory council for our counseling center. So I knew that was the direction I wanted to go here.
But when I got here, I wasn't quite sure who to reach out to. And so fortunately enough, there was a student who already had some things in the works by quite, quite an advisory council type of thing. But Chase Pritchett is his name. So shout out to Chase. And many thanks to you, Chase, for really. Right. For your inspiration.
So Chase provided that inspiration. And as we talked initially, we both liked the idea of an advisory council on wellness whose purpose was to really help advise me and serve as my eyes and ears of student issues on campus related to health and well being. So it's in its fifth year now. The first two years of the council were really instrumental in developing and establishing our Alabama model and our model of assessment.
And the last two years have been particularly important because as they've grown, as the council members have grown in the responsibilities and in their response to student needs, their work has also grown. And so the council has been responsible for establishing and authoring two white papers that address pertinent student issues related to health and well being.
The first white paper was on mental health issues that students face here at the university.
And the most recent white paper last year addressed the impact of COVID on students, students health and well being here at the university.
Each set of white papers then came with sets of recommendations to me to act on and to follow and to pass along to upper administration. And I've got to say that that's been a very successful way or avenue to Allow student voices to be heard.
And I like empowering students for their own sake to advance some of their needs and what they see is important.
So from that we've been able to act on some recommendations such as successfully advocating for additional resources. The counseling center.
The counseling center. Developing additional avenues to meet student needs.
More recently we've adopted or we've been able to put in place links on the. The student syllabus for helpful campus resources
[00:33:40] Speaker D: which were not there before.
[00:33:42] Speaker C: And again, that's a great collaboration with Academic affairs on that effort.
[00:33:45] Speaker A: That's amazing because I did not know about that.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: Yeah, I didn't either. That's great.
[00:33:49] Speaker A: And with the students that are involved, are you typically looking for students that are academically connected to something health related? Or could these be students representing key student organization organizations? What does that look like?
[00:34:03] Speaker C: So I really try to strive for a wide and broad array of students and not just student leaders. I think student leaders are great, but I also am really interested in students who are wanting to be engaged and who for the most part are invested in the health and well being of our campus. I think that's the most important thing because.
Because having that commitment to our students and being a member of the advisory council really drives the work of the council, drives the energy of the council and also drives the fun that we have. We have great discussion. So our council met for the first time last night and started talking about potential white paper topics. And so there was a lot of great energy around that and demonstrated to me that students are invested in not only their own health and well being, but the health and well being of their peers and other community.
[00:34:59] Speaker B: It's always refreshing. We have some really great students that work for us and like the idea is like we just got done with our staff training and one of our program assistants for Groove Exercise, we let her, basically we had a scavenger hunt that she, her and the other PAs had to come up with. And like seeing them work and like getting to sit back and experience that, I was like, like this is amazing. Like you think of things that I didn't even think of and just taking control and ownership. And you know, for us at urec, I mean people kind of always think it's like working out all the time. I'm like, yeah, but you don't understand. Like we do a little more than that. And so I love when students have those roles because it just, it inspires me. I think it's that flip what you're talking about. How do you get it fired up about.
[00:35:45] Speaker C: That's right. It's exciting to work with students and particularly this year, the fifth year of the council that our alumni members have wanted to still be engaged. And so we've established now an alumni Advisory Council, which is fantastic. So alumni members now have the opportunity to network and to mentor our current advisory council members.
This year, again being the fifth year of the advisory council, we're planning a reunion for our alumni members on October 22nd and 3rd, which I believe is homecoming, which there's also the Tennessee game.
[00:36:23] Speaker B: I heard about that.
[00:36:25] Speaker A: Homecoming.
[00:36:25] Speaker B: We need to talk to somebody about that.
[00:36:28] Speaker C: So hopefully it'll prove to be an exciting weekend and we'll have all our alumni come back and meet up with our current members. So excited about that.
[00:36:36] Speaker A: That's amazing. And Dr. Perez, I know one of the other initiatives that's going to be starting is the Circling Back.
So tell us a little bit about that.
[00:36:46] Speaker C: Circling Back newsletter really is an initiative. It's a student initiative and I'm just along for the ride, really.
But these are a group of students who wanted to promote wellness kinds of information more broadly to other students.
And it just so happened that, you know, I had conversations with different students about the same thing and just all sort of came together.
And so last spring semester, a group of students worked to establish the structure and the format and the purpose for Circling Back. A number of them graduated. So I don't know, I don't know if Pruitt's out there. Pruitt, if that's you, thank you very much. I don't know if you're still on, but currently Annika Ames and Will Bradley are serving as leads on that this year. So it'll debut in September.
And the gist is to offer information on different campus events or other things related to health and well being with a feature spotlight.
[00:37:51] Speaker A: Okay, well, you know, I know we're nearing the end of the show and historically we like, like to kind of start going into more fun questions. And Whitney, if you're okay with actually have a good question I want to
[00:38:02] Speaker B: ask both of y' all because bring it on if you guys do it.
[00:38:06] Speaker A: So Dr. Perez, you may not know this about Whitney, but she is quite the ice cream connoisseur and lover. And I, I know you've had conversations with our department about homemade ice cream before. So I need to know in details, what are your favorite ice cream flavors? You guys, And I need to know
[00:38:24] Speaker B: this flavors or brands or dupo. This could be a really, really in depth question,
[00:38:31] Speaker C: I think.
So I dabbled or redabbled in making homemade ice cream again as part of the sort of pandemic activities.
My favorite all time flavor is rum raisin.
[00:38:46] Speaker A: Really?
[00:38:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:38:48] Speaker A: Interesting.
[00:38:48] Speaker C: Very good, huh? Yes.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: Have you had the Haagen Dazs run rum raisin?
[00:38:52] Speaker D: That's my favorite.
[00:38:53] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:38:53] Speaker C: Although my, my homemade one is pretty good.
[00:38:56] Speaker B: I bet the homemade is good.
[00:38:57] Speaker D: Do you use.
[00:38:58] Speaker B: You have to like soak the raisins in rum.
[00:39:00] Speaker C: Soak it and make sure they're creamy.
[00:39:01] Speaker B: Oh. So there's a little kick to it. Okay.
[00:39:04] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:39:04] Speaker A: I like that.
[00:39:05] Speaker B: You know, I'm always gonna say cookie dough is my favorite, so.
[00:39:08] Speaker C: Cookie dough's good.
[00:39:09] Speaker B: Cookie dough is my favorite. My favorite brand is graters and I think think it's made in Kentucky.
[00:39:14] Speaker C: Oh, I've never had that.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: It's. They. I have only found it at Fresh Market and they only have the pines and it's like seven bucks for a pint. I mean, you know, like it's totally worth it, but it's, it's got this really like thick chocolate swirl in there and it's, it's pretty delicious. So I'd say graters and I would say cookie dough would probably be my favorite.
[00:39:37] Speaker C: Jenny's ice cream is pretty good.
[00:39:38] Speaker B: That's amazing.
[00:39:39] Speaker A: Yes, I do love some Jenny's. I think I'm a cookies and cream kind of person.
And, and then also too, a good homemade peach ice cream is really nice. I think our proximity to Clanton and Chilton County. Chilton county peaches, I do like that.
[00:39:57] Speaker C: Can't go wrong.
[00:39:58] Speaker B: I will say this. I have a beef with Bluebell and Blue Bell. If you're listening, I'll tell you why
[00:40:02] Speaker A: I have a beef with them.
[00:40:03] Speaker B: I will buy your ice cream, Blue Bell, but I will not buy it until you put a plastic lining cover that I can peel off.
[00:40:11] Speaker C: Yes, that is frustrating.
[00:40:12] Speaker B: I don't like that. And I boycott them because it would not take you that much time or money for your prices to just add a little cover on there. And then I would buy your ice cream and I buy a lot of it. Yes.
[00:40:23] Speaker A: Well, and aside from just in these last moments, Dr. Perez, you know, aside from making ice ice cream and I know you and I, we've had separate conversations about sourdough starter.
[00:40:35] Speaker C: Oh, that's true.
[00:40:36] Speaker A: What kind of self care things do you like to. What are your leisure activities?
[00:40:40] Speaker C: So, so cooking is one of them. But I also, I also enjoy, you know, getting out when I can and have the time getting out on the golf course and getting in a few holes, it's been. It's been difficult to do that. So, you know, the. The driving range is always good.
Puts me in a very Zen frame of mind. Hiking is great. I always enjoy hiking, particularly around here. There's some great trails to be able to do that as well.
And then, yeah, there's some other things that I think I might not I'll say for a later time. How's that? I think you probably know some of them.
[00:41:16] Speaker A: I think so.
[00:41:16] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:41:17] Speaker A: Yes, yes, yes.
[00:41:18] Speaker B: Well, now I'm curious. We're going to have to have you on the show again.
[00:41:21] Speaker C: And some of my advisors, council members, know them too.
And so if you know, you know, if you know, you know.
[00:41:26] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, then what I'll say to that, based on your, you know, appreciation for the golf course, maybe you need to take all of those under your wing. We go to topgolf one day.
[00:41:36] Speaker D: Have a nice one.
[00:41:37] Speaker C: Oh, that'll be a nice wellness break.
[00:41:39] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:41:40] Speaker A: So we'll do that. But, Whitney, I guess we gotta end the show today, man.
[00:41:44] Speaker B: Another one in the books. Yes.
[00:41:46] Speaker A: Well, Dr. Price, thank you for being with us this afternoon.
And, you know, and it was fun to be able to live stream, but we do not want you to be a stranger to the show. I feel very confident we'll be asking you back for some additional appearances. But you guys, that's it. We hope you enjoy the week. You have been listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:42:14] Speaker B: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
