The Online Reflector

This past May, Healthy Diplomas were given to the first five graduates of the program. The graduates received a note on their transcripts, a certificate, a letter from a faculty member and cords to wear at commencement.

The Healthy Diploma was conceptualized by Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Department Chair Lisa Hicks, who directs the program, and Assistant Director and Instructor of Kinesiology Mindy Mayol. The new program is intended to increase the health of students through 15 credit hours of coursework, wellness coaching and yearly physical assessments. The program helps to provide a healthier lifestyle and a competitive edge in the job market.

According to Hicks, higher education has been lagging in initiating programs to promote the health of students.

“There are a lot of initiatives going on in the K-12 schools, but there really hasn’t been anything going on in higher education,” Hicks said. “So I was thinking about how to make a bigger impact in my own backyard.”

According to Hicks, decreased absenteeism and increased productivity look good to employers, and these two occur when employees are healthier. Employers also have begun to look at costs, due to the recession, and have noticed a considerable amount of spending on insurance.

Hicks said that because insurance costs are typically lower for healthier employees, employers may consider for a job those who hold the Healthy Diploma before those who do not.

“There has not been one employer that said they would not consider that [the Healthy Diploma] a positive advantage when it comes to competing in the job market,” Hicks said.

According to senior exercise science major Nikki Wilson, the Healthy Diploma program offers courses that are not open to all students, courses that educate about different aspects of health and fitness. These can also help relieve the stress of more academically difficult courses.

“I got my hips moving in dance class,” Wilson said. “They [Healthy Diploma courses] are more fun, easy, laid back electives that just relax your whole study day.”

Health coaches assist students in making behavioral changes by encouraging them to do what they know they need to do to become healthy. Students meet with the health coach, who is a faculty or staff member, at least twice a semester to establish health goals and strategize about how to meet them.

Annual physical assessments, organized by Mayol, occur each spring and measure certain chemical balances in the blood, Body Mass Index (BMI), fat percent, flexibility and VO2 max—how much oxygen one uses during intense exercise.

According to Wilson, these tests are helpful to those training for an event or those working on specific areas of fitness.

To remain in the program, students must maintain a healthy reading over multiple categories or improve every year. Hicks said that, on a consistent basis, these tests have shown that participants’ health has noticeably improved.

“We try not to be punitive, where you have to be healthy right now,” Hicks said. “You find out where your weaknesses are, and then you work on those on your way to graduation.”
Most students involved in the Healthy Diploma are working on health-related majors such as pre-physical therapy, community health education or exercise science, but the opportunity is open to all students. According to Hicks, the high concentration of health-related majors is because of the similar course work.

However, according to Wilson, this is also the result of poor advertising. The Healthy Diploma is only advertised in the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center, she said, which is usually occupied by students in health-related majors.

Hicks said that one of her goals is to get more students involved who are not already on a healthy path, who have one or more areas of health and wellness in which they struggle and who are not involved in a health-related major.

As with most school-related programs, the Healthy Diploma program includes a knowledge-based final exam. According to Hicks, it is not overly difficult and is included simply to ascertain that student remember most of what they have learned in the program.

The Healthy Diploma has been endorsed by the Indianapolis Colts, IU Health Sports Performance and others. In the fall of 2010, the program was profiled on “Inside Indiana Business with Gary Dick.”

The application process should be completed during the freshman or sophomore year. To apply, a student must explain why he or she wants to be in the Healthy Diploma program, write a four-year plan showing how can he or she can fit in the required classes and obtain two short letters of recommendation.