The Rocket

Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Focus

Iain Langstone, 22, a physical education major helps out during a AVS Wed. night program.

President Robert Smith and the Council of Trustees honored the Department of Exercise Science by granting a day devoted to the adapted physical activity program, the first of it's kind on SRU's campus.

First established 20 years ago, the APA program is an undergraduate minor and a master's of science degree program that deals with the education and preparation of students to work properly with special needs people. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to assist the people with special needs by providing physical activities and education, helping them to improve their overall health and everyday lives.

Nov. 11, officially recognized on-campus as Adapted Physical Activity Awareness Day, is meant to direct the attention of the campus to the ongoing existence of physical and mental disabilities, and the people who struggle with them day after day.

Dr. Robert Arnhold, professor of exercise and rehabilitative sciences and program coordinator, feels honored that the APA program is being recognized with its own day on-campus.

"Dr. Smith realizes the importance for people with disabilities to be given the opportunity to participate in vigorous physical activity and not have barriers placed before them," he said. "He is compassionate about this field and understands and obviously recognizes the important work our students are learning to do in the communities in which they will work."

Arnhold helped to establish the ground layout by advising a group of the program's graduate and undergraduate students who are organizing the day's events.

"We have a day-long agenda-sort of a traveling carnival in which we will be visible all over various places on campus," he said. "Some of the locations where we will have set up include the Union, the Quad, Boozel and the ARC."

Leading the group in the coordination of the events are program coordinators Amanda Budzowski, 24, and Jessica Baker, 22, who are both enrolled graduate students in the APA program.

As co-organizers, both Budzowski and Baker came up with the schedule for the day's events.

"It all pretty much started with a meeting," Budzowski said. "Our advisor gave us the idea of the day, along with the locations and times for the events that he wanted, and it was our job to plan and decide what we were doing for the day."

Continued...

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