Santa Clara Failed Health Test

By Quentin B. Obis

A typical image of college students might bring to mind something like this: tall, handsome young males swaggering through campus with bulging chests and thick forearms and beautiful golden-haired babes strolling casually through the courtyard, their sleek and supple figures perfected by sweet rosy cheeks.

Coming mostly from upper middle-class families who can afford to feed them well, Santa Clara students are generally a healthy bunch, making this picture-perfect scenario at least partially plausible. According to a Core Alcohol and Drug survey done last year, Santa Clara students smoke less than other college students around the country - 11.8 percent compared to 24 percent nationally. Of course, the addition of a $9 million Malley Fitness Center does not hurt either. The Taj Mahal of gyms has served to elevate many students from the status of "healthy" to "really healthy," attributing even more well-being to an already fairly fit group of young people.

"The Malley Fitness Center is the greatest thing since animal crackers," freshman Joe Rizzardo said. "It's never overly crowded because it's so big. If I were at another school, I don't think that I would be working out so often."

Although the Malley Center is very accessible, those who are not accustomed to lifting weights should use caution when they have never done strength training before. Lifting weights can be extremely strenuous, and those lifting weights should take vitamins if possible to replenish their bodies.

Along with physical exercise, nutrition is an important aspect of life for the healthy student. With all of the working out going on around campus, adequate nutrition at Santa Clara can be harder to achieve than physical fitness. The limited hours of the main dining hall have been a continuous problem for many students, especially athletes who finish practice at late hours fatigued and hungry.

Are burritos, burgers and pizza enough to sustain the nutritional requirements of athletes who are supposed to be getting a well-balanced diet? Some students, such as sophomore track and cross-country runner Stephen Moore, say no.

"The California Fresh meals are sub dog-food quality," said Moore. "You could get the same quality ingredients dumpster diving." Junior Sean Fickle agrees that the caliber of the food needs to improve.

"The school should find a way to teach the servers to cook the food for quality," Fickle said. "Late at night the food is often either burnt or under-cooked."

Although the food on campus can be under-par, it is apparently sufficient enough to sustain a generally good level of health among the students. Senior Sanfillipo Resident Assistant Felicity Jimenez can attest to the healthy students in her building.

"There have not been very many major health problems in my building," Jimenez said. "My girls have had colds on and off most of the year, but that's mostly just because of the weather. The health services have gotten a lot better in the last four years."

For those taken ill or injured, the Cowell Health Center mends many maladies. Santa Clara does not have all of the resources that a school with a significant amount of funding might have, so there are times when referrals to other local doctors are necessary. Sophomore crew team rower Evan Roades-Brown had to be referred to a doctor in San Jose after breaking his wrist while running earlier this year.

"They [Cowell] don't have all the resources to take care of everybody, so it's kind of a hassle," Roades-Brown said.

A student will receive different treatment depending on whether or not their injury was sports-related. Moore has known people with injuries on his running team and he says that the trainers are sometimes overly cautious about injuries.

"A lot of people don't go to the trainers because they're afraid that they'll be held out too long [from practice] if they do," Moore said.

For those with lesser ailments such as colds, Cowell passes out its ever-popular cold kits. The kits come with painkillers, decongestants, cough drops and other aids for the ill, something that may come in handy with all of the cold, rainy weather that we have recently experienced.

Health Educator Laurie Lang has some advice for staying healthy and avoiding stress. Lang recommends washing your hands frequently as the best way to maintain good health. She also suggests getting eight to 10 hours of sleep every night, and of course exercise is a staple for the healthy student.

"By establishing an exercise routine you are less likely to be sick and it is also very helpful for stress reduction," Lang said. "Just 30 minutes every day on an exercise bike will help you sleep better. Without taking these basic measures of adequate sanitation, you can almost bet you'll come down with a cold."

As for the availability of nutritious food on campus, Lang says that the cafeteria seems to offer very healthy choices with a variety of selections.

"When I was in college we only had one entree, and if you didn't like it you went hungry," Lang said.

Concerning the school's sanitary conditions, many students in the residence halls believe that the rooms should be carpeted. Carpeting would not only make the residence halls more comfortable, but would also increase sanitary conditions by lessening the amount of dust and debris in the air. Without carpeting, the residence halls give the impression of living in a hospital. It is important that students maintain a semblance of sanity while living on campus.

"Those flourescent lights suck out my will to live," freshman Nathan Baker said. "Flourescent lights have been known to be harsh on the eyes and to create an uncomfortable atmosphere." For those who would like help in establishing an exercise routine or maintaining better nutrition, students can make an appointment with Stephanie Brooks, Santa Clara University's registered dietician and nutrition specialist. Brooks can be reached at (408) 554-4501.