Wellness has its true merits

What was the class I was dreading most out of all the required classes I had to take here at SMU?

Wellness.

I thought to myself, “I don’t need someone to tell me three times a week how to eat, that I need to stay in shape and how to live my life.” I decided that this would be the semester I would go through the annoyance of a class that I would spend three hours a week in and only get one hour of credit for.

Then I went to Birdie Barr’s Wellness I class. At first, I still thought I could have a better use of my time, but hers has become my favorite in all my classes here at SMU. Her philosophy, if I can paraphrase it, is something along the lines of: You have so much to deal with in your life all week long. Let this be a class where you can come and refocus on yourself.

I may not have done her philosophy justice in my paraphrasing, but I hope you can get a general idea of it. Perhaps Ms. Weddel was not fortunate enough to get a good Wellness teacher, or maybe she just didn’t pay attention, but Wellness is so much more than just telling you to be healthy. In fact, she has missed the point completely. She said, “SMU is certainly a health-conscious campus! Check out the gym anytime of day, and it’s full.”

Simply because someone runs three or even seven times a week or is in top physical shape, does not mean he or she is healthy, and that is something I have come to understand so much better through Birdie’s Wellness I class.

I am not going to go through everything we’ve learned in her class, but I do want people to realize that there is a dire need for what Birdie teaches in today’s society. We are such a fast-paced society with our problems, not necessarily health related, (though that is also a huge issue) multiplying exponentially.

Whether they are family problems, personal issues or societal malfunctions, we are a society that has become chock-full of people that are desperately in need of a Dr. Phil. If every student were to take Birdie’s class, I know that number of these people would greatly be reduced.

Wellness is not where accounting principles should be taught. If you want accounting, go take accounting. If you believe that accounting can be taught in a class period in Wellness, or even a week of classes, then perhaps you should go through those “dreaded set of business pre-requisites.”

If Cox majors must go through these in order to be adequately prepared to take classes in the business school, why should other students be any different? Since I am not a Cox major, I shouldn’t be able to take Cox classes until I have taken the classes required to do so. Yes, Cox students can take English and anthropology courses (that do not require pre-reqs) because a sound, fundamental background of information is not necessary to take the courses that all majors are allowed to take.

Ms. Weddel’s editorial is a bit confusing in that the title mentions replacing Wellness II, then proceeds to discuss only her dislike of her Wellness 1101 class. Furthermore, it is apparent that she has completely missed the point of anything taught in this class. Yes, it would be great to have an extra hour of sleep instead of going to learn about relaxation; however, the purpose of the relaxation techniques class is to learn how to relax and its benefits, not to sleep.

This is another vital thing missing in society today. People don’t know how to relax and de-stress, and this is something that the Wellness class is trying to impress on its students. Perhaps the problem lies in the perception of Wellness as a blow-off class, and that is why Ms. Weddel didn’t pay attention and absorb any of the worthwhile lessons.

There are certainly some things that could use fixing or updating in the Wellness classes, and this is a valid debate to have. Wellness should not be replaced. I know there are some Wellness teachers who have lost sight of what they truly should be teaching. If you feel that strongly about canceling Wellness, I challenge you to talk to Birdie Barr in the Wellness department. She is an amazing woman and would be glad to share with you why there is so much more to the words “wellness” and “health” than mere physical fitness.

Kevin Lavelle is a sophomore management science and Spanish double major. He can be reached at [email protected].