The Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) at Alcorn State University hosted a Health Fair and barbecue in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month during Homecoming Week.
October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month across America. The event took place on October 10th, 2017 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex and was open to the public. HPER aims to provide opportunities for students to attain personal and intellectual development and growth. This idea was incorporated into dedicating a day to generate awareness of Breast Cancer. According to Tangelica Franklin, a Senior Psychology major, “This event takes place annually to emphasize the importance of Breast Cancer Awareness. It is something that is very informative and much needed on campus.”
The Fair offered door prizes, food and giveaways such as gift baskets. There were three main informational sessions, the Nutrition Session which was from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, Tips to Combat Obesity which was from 10:00 am to 11:00 am and Benefits of Exercise which was from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon, followed by a barbecue in front of the HPER Complex. During these sessions, attendees were advised on how to maintain great health through meal selection and tracking and by being active constantly which could reduce the risk of Breast Cancer. A Senior Biology major, Dakendra Collins, expressed her thoughts on the success of the program stating, “I believe that this was a good event because many people do not know how or where to get screenings done and this event was able to inform them.”
The barbecue kicked off at 12 noon and ran to 2:00 pm. Students, faculty and staff stopped by to grab a bite to eat and were also given information in case they missed the morning sessions.