By Lou Ryan

Over 1,200 people attended the Autumn Wellness Expo put on by Kutztown University Health Promotion and Alcohol & Other Drug Services on Oct. 31, 2013. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and featured health and wellness experts from campus organizations and local businesses.

Many attendees were students in health or sport management classes at Kutztown who received extra credit for going. These students had to visit a minimum of 18 vendors and fill out a survey to receive an extra credit coupon to give their professors. Kutztown University Health Ambassadors handed out surveys at the door.

According to health promotion services director Frances C. Cortez Funk, the expo brings in about 1,000 people. By 1:30 p.m., over 600 surveys were handed out and Funk had to print more. She estimated that about two thirds of the attendees were there for extra credit.

The expo had 41 vendors, each with a table featuring interactive displays and giveaways. Issues ranged from alcohol use and abuse, mental health and addiction to dietary choices, personal fitness and sexual health.

New this year was Kutztown Push, a push-up contest organized by the department of sport management and leadership studies. According to student coordinator Nick Vuotto, participants were split into categories by gender, and whoever performed the most pushups in each category won a trophy.

The winners of Kutztown Push were Wade Rivera and Briana Jamshidi. Everyone who attended the expo was welcome to participate.

The department also had equipment at the expo to measure body fat percentage, flexibility, and grip strength. According to sport management professor Dr. Crider, they had assessed 143 people by noon.

KU Health Promotion Services also organizes a wellness fair in the spring, which usually takes place outside the wellness center on the DMZ. Both events are free and open to the campus and surrounding community.