Wacky Wellnesses
by Bella M Taylor | published Dec. 1st, 2017
From Nerf blasters to massage therapy, RIT offers a variety of unusual wellness courses. It's enrollment season and while you may have signed up for all the classes you have to take, consider getting one of your two required wellness courses out of the way. Remember that the school will cover two classes up to $200 — everything after that is applied to eservices via a course fee. All ratings are from openevals.rit.edu. Professor ratings are averaged from their helpfulness, responsiveness and recommendation scores. The class scores represent whether students would recommend the class to others.
Nerfology
Instructor: Justin Dangler, president of the Rochester Foam Dart League
Instructor Rating: 3.66/5
Class Rating: 4.33/5
Meeting Time: Wednesday 3:35–4:55 p.m.
Class Size: 50
Cost: $175
For: Students who enjoy games like Humans vs. Zombies, Airsoft, laser tag or paintball
Description: This class is about having fun while getting active. Students will play various games involving Nerf blasters both indoors and out. Students track their activity via pedometers.
Student opinion: "Nerfology was a good course to get people active in a very RIT way," Kelly Brown, a fourth year Physician Assistant student, said.
Introduction to Massage Therapy
Instructor: Austin Baddeley, NYS licensed massage therapist
Instructor Rating: 3.57/5
Class Rating: 4.45/5
Meeting Time: Thursday 12:30–1:50 p.m. or Thursday 2:00–3:20 p.m.
Class Size: 40
Cost: $160
For: Students looking for stress and pain relief.
Description: Massage therapy has become a popular method for relieving stress and pain. The class will teach students a variety of massage techniques to use on themselves and others. The first third of the class is dedicated to learning techniques and then students partner up to practice.
Student opinion: “I would give the class a 10 out of 10. I still use the techniques today on both myself and others, and think I will for many years,” Katherine Cooney, a fifth year Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience major, said.
Maple Syrup and Our Environment
Instructors: Enid Cardinal, senior sustainability advisor to the president and Tom Connelly, program director for the RIT Center for Recreational Sports
Instructor Rating: 3.80/5 and 3.83/5
Class Rating: 4.2/5
Meeting Time: Meets Tuesdays 3:30–5:30 p.m. for seven weeks and Saturday March 3, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. for a field trip.
Class Size: 30
Cost: $95
For: Students who love maple syrup and care about the environment
Description: Students will learn about the production of maple syrup and how it is affected by the environment. They will learn about tree identification, biology and the nutritional benefits of maple syrup. During a field trip, students will identify trees, harvest sap and create their own maple syrup.
Student opinion: “I learned that maple syrup can be a healthier alternative to other sugars. It’s a natural product so if you're worried about the fake sweeteners, it can be a much better alternative,” Becky Bogart, a fourth year Chemistry major, said.
Fencing
Instructor: Harold Goodwill
Instructor Rating: 3.67/5
Class Rating: 3.56/5
Meeting Time: Tuesday 9:30 a.m.–10:50 a.m. or Thursday 12:30–1:50 p.m.
Class Size: 22
Cost: $100
For: Students who have always wanted to learn swordplay
Description: The class will cover the three different fencing blades and will teach footwork, blade work and safety procedures. Classes start with warm-ups and then an introduction to the day's topics. After practicing new techniques, the class concludes with fencing bouts.
Student opinion: "Don't get hit, hit the other guy and look sexy while doing it ... It's a great class, a lot of fun," Stanley Goldstein, a fourth year Packaging Science major, said.