Jesuit schools value “cura personalis,” or care of the whole person, and for the first time ever, Fairfield is specifically promoting care of the physical body by participating in the Go Move Challenge.
The Go Move Challenge is a challenge between 19 Jesuit schools to exercise for the longest amount of time during the month of February, according to Program Coordinator of Sports Clubs and Intramurals Jonathan Dinihanian.
Sophomore Emily Patchell believes that the challenge is a good example of “cura personalis.”
“I think it’s good because it’s not only good for your physical health but also for your mental health, since exercise is such a good stress reliever,” said Patchell.
The challenge begins on Feb. 1 and will conclude on Feb. 28.
“I think it’s good because it inspires competition,” said Juliet Bonsangue ‘20. “People are usually motivated by competition, so I think it’s a smart idea to get more people to want to exercise.”
Dinihanian, along with Director of Recreation John Paladino and Visiting Assistant Instructor of Nursing Susan Bartos, is liaison and supervisor of the challenge.
Bartos is a member of Building Healthy Academic Communities, which partnered with the Department of Recreation to initiate Fairfield’s participation in the Go Move Challenge.
Dinihanian explained what qualified as exercise in the challenge.
“It’s any kind of activity you’re doing on purpose, so walking to class won’t count, but any kind of running, any kind of fitness classes, any student-athletes’ practices [count],” said Dinihanian. “It’s basically just to see which university is the most active.”
Dinihanian spoke about how the challenge was initially only between faculty and staff from the participating universities, however, it has since expanded to include students as well.
After signing up for the challenge, faculty, staff and students log their minutes spent exercising on the challenge’s official website.
According to Dinihanian there will be a table set up in the RecPlex on Feb. 1 to give out T-shirts and phone wallets to the first people to sign up.
“We are using these giveaways as more incentive for people to sign up,” commented Dinihanian.
According to Dinihanian, there were no downsides to implementing the challenge.
Sophomore Vanessa Ciampa, who is an intern in the Department of Recreation, commented, “one of the main goals this semester is to market the Go Move Challenge in order to increase participation and make the challenge a success since it is the first time we have participated in it.”
Freshman Cassie Hodgson addressed how the University does a good job promoting athleticism.
“The RecPlex is a great improvement to the school,” Hodgson commented. “I know that a lot of my friends use it and I use it as well. They also do a good job with getting people involved in intramural sports.”
“It was agreed that it would be a good thing to push out to both faculty and staff and students because it’s more of an incentive to get people up and moving and active,” Dinihanian added. “So there’s really no negatives, there’s no downside of joining it.”
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