There are students who don̢۪t think much of walking long distances around campus and there are others who make it their mission.

STEPtember is a promotion put on by America On the Move, a national nonprofit organization. The goal of STEPtember is to promote active living and healthy eating.

At Fresno State, STEPtember is a being hosted by Health Promotion and Wellness Services with collaboration from the Student Health Science Association, a club for health science students.

Interested students meet by the fountain near the Kennel Bookstore at noon on Wednesday̢۪s all month. The students will decide on a path and take the walk across campus.

Last Wednesday, there were no participants in the walking event, but the department has been e-mailing students and distributing flyers in an effort to raise participation.

“[STEPtember] is about increasing student interest in exercise and educating students on existing wellness services on campus,â€Â Wellness Coordinator Kathy Yarmo said.

Yarmo explained that STEPtember̢۪s success will also rely on student volunteers called wellness ambassadors.

“Wellness ambassadors promote activities and events while also representing the student health center,â€Â Yarmo said. “Each month the ambassadors take on a different topic to create student awareness.â€Â

For Maricruz Rivera, president of the wellness ambassadors, STEPtember means something different.
“STEPtember is to promote walking more, and adding steps to your life,â€Â Rivera said. “We will be wearing red shirts. Together we will decide which path we want to take on our walk.â€Â

Some events, like the STEPtember walks and student run exercise classes at the Student Recreation Center, are listed on a bulletin board in the health center. The university celebrates National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, which includes the Wicked Wellness Carnival that runs on Oct. 22.

Yarmo explained that these events are in place to inform students what services are available. It is her job to get more students into the health center.

“Many students don’t know about all of the services at the health center,â€Â Yarmo said. “[The health center] offer[s] psychological counseling and birth control counseling, [the health center] also has a pharmacy to get prescription drugs to students at cost.â€Â

Yarmo explained that some services, such as prescription drugs and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, cost extra at the health center. Yarmo believes this is the kind of information that needs to get out to students.

“Students pay for health services when they pay their student fees,â€Â Yarmo said. That’s why, according to a brochure at the health center, “All currently enrolled students at Fresno State…are eligible for on-campus student health services.â€Â