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Alumni, College of Engineering, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

TSU Partners With Man Up Health Collaborative to Promote Men’s Health

Image May 31, 2018 Lucas Johnson

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is partnering with the Man Up Health Collaborative and Mt. Zion Baptist Church to bring awareness to issues surrounding men’s health.

Members of the health collaborative, which grew out of the Men’s Health Ministry at Mt. Zion, met with TSU staff members last week to discuss plans for a new project called the Summer Men’s Health Series.

The series, which will include a One Million Steps in 100 Days campaign, kicked off June 2 with a Man-Up Men’s Health Symposium at Mt. Zion’s Antioch location and will culminate on Sept. 8 with a 5K walk/run at Tennessee State University.

Gerald Davis, TSU director of Intramural Sports and the Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center, said initiatives like this one are needed to encourage men to adopt healthier lifestyles.

“Most guys have this negative stigma about working out,” Davis said. “They think it’s all about getting bigger, stronger and faster, but when you are in your 40s and 50s, it’s just about maintaining wellness, just wanting to be in shape and do things longer without getting tired.”

Dr. Dedrick E. Moulton, associate professor of Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt Medical Center and the driving force behind the effort, said the project grew out of his personal struggle to live a healthier life.

“Men don’t tend to pay much attention to their health. They will find almost anything else to do to avoid taking care of it, and I most certainly fell into that same category despite being a medical professional,” Moulton said. “What we are really looking to do is let men know that when they choose to neglect their health, it impacts more than just them. It impacts their families, their wives, their children and all their loved ones.”

Moulton said the collaborative seeks to become a “resource bank” for men hoping to live healthier lives. He said the symposium on Saturday will include blood pressure and diabetes screenings as well as interactive sessions focused on mental health and stress management, fitness and nutrition, cardiology and heart health, and developing a health checklist.

“If you attend the symposium you will see that following the medical presentation, we will have real people who will tell you how they had diagnoses and made changes,” he said. “Then we will even follow that up with fitness experts and tell you how to get started.”

According to Moulton, the One Million Steps in 100 Days campaign is based on the American Heart Association’s recommendation for people to take10,000 steps a day. He said the collaborative is encouraging men throughout Nashville to participate, especially men who attend Mt. Zion or work at TSU.

While Davis said making health changes is about taking slow steps and setting realistic goals, he also said men need to make health a priority and get sound advice, which he and his staff are ready to provide to members of the TSU community.

“It’s about challenging yourself. If you go to work at 8 a.m., you may have to get up at 5 a.m., get everybody together, come on in workout, shower and then leave,” he said. “Everybody is looking for that perfect box to fit in work and working out, but sometimes it just doesn’t work that way. Take a lunch break. Do it right after work. But you have got to get into a habit of doing something for your body. If not, nine times out of 10, it will come back and catch up with you.”

Davis recommended the walking/running tracks at the Hadley Park Regional Center for people who are not students or employees at the university. He said in the near future he hopes to make the wellness center available to family members of TSU employees as well as alumni.

Moulton said the group hopes men will bring their families to participate in the 5K walk/run scheduled for Sept. 8.

“It is more than just men that we are seeking to run,” he said. “We want men to run with their kids and their wives. And if you can’t run, walk with them.”

For more information about the Man Up Health Collaborative and the Summer Men’s Health Series, contact Dr. Dedrick Moulton at manuphealthfit@gmail.com.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

TSU helping to give youngsters a “healthy start” back to school

July 26, 2017 Lucas Johnson

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is helping area youngsters get a “healthy start” back to school.

The university will partner with several organizations on Saturday, July 29, to sponsor the 5th annual Love’s Healthy Start Festival at Hadley Park from 9 a.m. to noon.

The event, which is open to the public, was started by State Rep. Harold Love, Jr., whose district includes TSU.

One thousand youngsters will receive free backpacks and school supplies at the festival, which will also focus on health and education, as well as provide free food and live entertainment, Love said.

“Love’s Healthy Start Festival is more than a back to school event,” he said. “It is designed to give the entire family an opportunity to start the school year off right.”

Health screenings and dental exams will be available for youth and adults.

Leon Roberts is coordinator of clinics for TSU’s Department of Dental Hygiene. He said representatives from the department will be at the festival to discuss the benefits of good hygiene, as well as talk about the university’s Dental Hygiene Clinic.

The clinic provides service to nearly 600 patients a year, including students as well as the Nashville community.

“A lot of dental diseases can be easily prevented by brushing and flossing properly, and visiting the dentist at least twice a year,” Roberts said. “We plan to give people a quick demonstration on how to brush and floss properly, but also let them know about the clinic.”

Other TSU participation will include the university’s Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center, which offers a range of sports, recreation and fitness activities for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

“We want the community to know the importance of health and wellness; taking care of yourself,” said Jerry Davis, Wellness Center director. “We also want to let people know what we do, as well as look to partner with outside agencies.”

Love said the festival will also feature literacy and financial education programs. For instance, he said the festival is partnering with Book’em, a nonprofit organization, to provide 1,000 free books to youngsters in grades K-12.

There will also be information about initiatives like Tennessee Promise, which provides eligible graduating high school seniors two years of free tuition at a community or technical college in Tennessee.

“We want parents to know about the opportunity their children have to get a free education,” Love said.

Other expected TSU festival participants include the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, and the Office of Enrollment Management.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, Athletics, FACULTY, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Tennessee State University Wellness Center Makes Fitness Fun for Faculty, Staff and Students

August 12, 2015 Emmanuel Freeman

Center Plans Aug. 31 Open House to Introduce New Programs, Activities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – With a facelift and tons of new equipment and added activities, the Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center at Tennessee State University rivals any commercial fitness center in the city, and the TSU facility is free to users.

For Alexis Warner, that’s a big draw. “It is very convenient, you don’t have to pay membership, just show your ID and get a free workout,” said the senior Mass Communications major from Memphis, Tennessee, who visits the center about four times a week while attending summer school.

The center, which is opened to students, faculty and staff with university IDs, sees about 300 users a day, and that number is expected to go up with the new equipment and a new look in this school year, according to center coordinator Felicia Sweatt.

Alexix — Alexis Warner, a senior Mass Communications major from Memphis, Tennessee, visits the Wellness Center about four times a week. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

“We are here Monday through Sunday about 12 hours on the average a day, and there is never a shortage of students, faculty and staff coming to the wellness center,” Sweatt said.

The redesign is part of the vision of Dr. Michael Freeman, associate vice president for Student Affairs, who rejoined the university about a year ago, according to Gerald Davis, director of the Wellness Center.

“The moment Dr. Freeman came on board he immediately saw the need to do something to make sure students not only had a first-rate facility to work out in but one that was safe for their use,” Davis said, adding that this is the first major renovation since 2003.

“We have been using some creative means to keep it (the center) going, but Dr. Freeman was able to find the money and we are very thankful to him and the administration,” Davis said.

2015-07-28 11.33.30 — Wellness Center Director Gerald Davis, left, demonstrates the proper use of weight bars, to ensure maximum workout benefit. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

New elliptical equipment, including upright and recumbent bikes, as well as several new top-of-the-line treadmills and other cable machines spread out across the 3,304 square-foot facility are for cardio workout. New curl and weight bars adorn the strength and power lifting area. And Davis said, by Labor Day, the center plans to replace all of the bulky CRT (Cathode ray tube) television sets with five new bigger flat screen TVs.

2015-07-28 11.25.13 — Tré Tate, a senior Exercise Science major from Columbia, Tennessee, says that coming to the Wellness Center helps him relieve stress and to meet new friends. He has been visiting the center since his freshman year. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

“I really like the changes they have made in the center,” said Tré Tate, a senior Exercise Science major from Columbia, Tennessee, who has been a frequent visitor since 2011 as a freshman. “I love to workout, it helps me relieve stress, and I have made a lot of friends in this place. It is nice that they have made these improvements which will definitely encourage more students to come.”

Davis added, “The changes we have made in the center are the kinds of enhancements patrons have been asking for. It (the changes) helps them enjoy their workouts better.”

He said to accommodate patrons who want workouts with entertainment value but don’t have free time during the evening hours, the center has introduced midday classes that include yoga and salsa that are drawing a large number of people.

With new students and a new academic year, the Wellness Center will host a free open house from 5 – 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to stop by to see what the facility has to offer.

2015-07-28 11.32.02 — A student, right, presents his university ID to Wellness Center Coordinator Felicia Sweatt, as all users must do upon entering the facility. Center Director Davis, and Building Activity Supervisor David Griffin also help with greeting guests. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)

“The open house will include tours, demonstrations of several fitness classes being offered during the fall semester, including kickboxing, hip pop, boot camp and total body workout for extreme fitness,” Davis said.

The Wellness Center is open Monday through Thursday 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.; and Sunday 1-5 p.m.

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.