Category Archives: Kinesiology

SJSU students stay busy at week-long Pebble Beach tournament

During an unseasonably warm week in Carmel, 35 San José State University students were working hard to keep up with long lines at concession stands and meeting the needs of corporate clients at the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The hand-selected students undergo an intense training process, with managers from the beach-side resort in preparation of their week-long program as part of the Special Event Management Team course. But most of the students agreed that nothing quite prepared them for what it would be like to work the tournament.

As part of the Special Event Management Team, the students receive course credit for the time they spend in training and working at Pebble Beach. The SJSU program allows students in hospitality management and kinesiology programs in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts as well as some business majors from the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business to work as interns for a week during the prestigious golf tournament, which will be finish up on Feb. 15. The university has maintained the partnership with Pebble Beach Company for 10 years. Hospitality Management Professor Rich Larson helped to oversee the program, coordinating training, accommodations and serving as an on-site mentor during the tournament.

“Until today, I had no idea what it would really be like,” said Kelsey Castellano, a hospitality management student.

With blue skies along the coastal golf course and temperatures into the high 70s, many of the SJSU students kept on their bright blue Pebble Beach jackets that helped identify them as managers. The students donned white, long-sleeve shirts, ties and black pants. They were required to wear black shoes and most opted for a comfortable pair as they needed to be on their feet for 10-12 hours each day of the event. At least one student had resorted to using bandages on her heels to keep a new pair of shoes from rubbing on a blister.

Most of the students agreed the long hours and the tiredness at the end of the day was worth the experience.

Castellano’s first client had arrived for the Feb. 11 3M Celebrity Challenge, which drew crowds to watch a dozen celebrities play five holes for charity. Some of the well-known faces included actors Ray Romano, Josh Duhamel and Bob Murray; director Clint Eastwood; singers Clay Walker and Jake Owen; among others.

Castellano said she arrived at the Pebble Beach resort at 6 a.m. and she expected to work until 6 or 7 p.m. that night.

“I can take a break, but I’ll probably just eat what’s nearby,” she said, of a behind-the-scenes area where food is set up for a runner to bring up to the skyboxes for client consumption. A few shelves in the staging tent were set up with snacks for employees.

She said the best part for her so far had been the responsibility of overseeing a skybox for her corporate client.

“I’m in control of my staff,” she said. “They are asking me all the questions. Until today, I had no idea (what it would be like.)”

At mid-morning Castellano had managed a breakfast guaranteed for 60 guests and was preparing for a lunch for as many as 100 guests.

Marissa Giacomo, another hospitality management student, was busy managing a concession stand during the celebrity tournament as the five-hole play neared the 18th green. Her staff consisted of volunteers from the Carmel Youth Center that will receive 10 percent of the proceeds.

“Yesterday we were open, but today is our first full day,” she said, of the tent selling hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, snacks, soda, beer and a couple mixed drinks. “It feels good to know everyone has a job. I’m surprised at how open they are to doing things.”

She said she had learned quickly to delegate to her staff so she could focus on overall operations.

Alejandra Salceda, a hospitality management major, said she was still working with a client to make sure their skybox was set up to their liking before their guests arrived the following day for the official start of the tournament.

“It’s been really fun so far,” she said. “I’m just cleaning tables and counters – getting ready.”

She said she would be overseeing eight employees in two skyboxes.

While she had interned at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose and had worked as a lead before, she said the Pebble Beach Special Event Management Team was unique.

“This is completely different,” Salceda said. “I am the manager.”

The experience is so positive that many students who have completed the internship come back to work as temporary managers again, including some who have graduated and are working full-time in the hospitality industry. Several SJSU graduates said they coordinated to take a week of vacation from their regular jobs to serve as temporary managers at the tournament.

Erin Paxton, a December 2014 hospitality management graduate, said she had taken some vacation time to work for a few days at the tournament. She was overseeing a hospitality suite in the Pebble Beach Lodge.

“It was my first big gig, my first big girl job,” she said, of the internship last year. “It was the best for learning to deal with clients and to see the event side with food, beverages, golf. It was a very well-rounded experience.”

In a tent below the skyboxes, several students worked to prepare their set up for the following morning. Jaclyn Kyllo pointed out the layout of the room, where tables and coolers were set up for each client skybox on the 18th hole.

“We send a runner down to pick up the food,” she said, noting that utensils and plates were also organized in the tent. “This is also a good place to debrief, if you are feeling stressed or need an answer.”

She said she didn’t realize some of the smaller tasks she would be involved in, such as polish silverware or building racks to hold supplies in the temporary tents.

“It’s more than I imagined,” she said. “But I want to see the sunset on Pebble Beach every night. We are all in it together – the (35) of us so it’s nice that they believe in us to handle it.”

CASA students get in the holiday spirit

Members of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Student Affairs Committee got into the holiday spirit before Thanksgiving when they decorated a tree for Christmas in the Park. The community trees will be on display at downtown San Jose’s Christmas in the Park through Jan. 1.

Members of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts' Student Affairs community decorated a tree for Christmas in the Park.

Members of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts’ Student Affairs community decorated a tree for Christmas in the Park.

Christie Martinez, the president of the 2014-15 Student Affairs committee, said the group came up with the idea as a way to be social with other departments and within the committee – one representative is assigned to serve each year from each of the 11 departments and schools in CASA.

Some of the volunteers who helped to decorate the tree included: Claudia Gonzalez, of Health Science and Recreation, Martinez, of Justice Studies, Valerie Ruiz, of Kinesiology, Rebecca Robinson, of the Valley Foundation School of Nursing, Becky Ringer, of Nutrition, Food Science and Packaging, Sara Wykoff, of Occupational Therapy, OT Professor Gigi Smith, and David Hoffman, of Social Work.

The tree is one of many decorated by community groups for the annual Christmas in the Park event, which is open and free to the public from the end of November through Jan. 1.

“We all decided at our committee meeting that our tree would represent all 11 departments within the college,” Martinez said, via email.

Each committee member was asked to collect or make ornaments that represent the students or staff of the department. Many of the decorations include the name or abbreviation for the department, with some coming up with unique ideas such as a tree skirt made of copies of the Spartan Daily to represent the School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

“My favorite part was trying to find ideas to make the ornaments and also asking for my department’s help with ideas,” Martinez said.

Wykoff said her favorite part was seeing how unique each tree looked.

“Ours is so neat because of the variety of programs that it represents,” she said.

Martinez said she was planning to bring her children to see the tree she and other students decorated, which is located in space 449, across from the Fairmont Hotel.

“I want them to know that there is a lot more than just classes and homework at SJSU,” she said.

Wykoff said many of her classmates plan to go every year and even more plan to trek downtown to see the tree this year.

“Sometimes it seems that people are always so busy that the holidays are less of value, but Christmas in the Park is a reminder that there are still people out there that still value the holidays,” Martinez said.

Emeritus and Retired Faculty lunch with current CASA affiliates

The College of Applied Sciences and Arts hosted its annual Emeritus and Retired Faculty Luncheon Oct. 29, at Flames Eatery and Banquet.
Emeritus and Retired

Faculty were invited to join Assistant Chair of Kinesiology Shirley Reekie and Associate Dean Greg Payne for a tour of some of the newly completed construction on campus. About a half dozen faculty members participated in the tour of the newly renovated Yoshihiro Uchida Hall and the new Student Union.

“This is one of our favorite events to host each year because it gives us a chance to catch you up on what has been going on in CASA and around campus and also for us to hear what you’ve done this past year,” said Interim Dean Alice Hines in her welcome.

The highlight of the program included three College of Applied Sciences and Arts students who attended summer study abroad programs who shared how the experience left a strong impression on them. The students speakers included Aly Mauro, an Occupational Therapy student, Mia Gonzalez, a Journalism and Mass Communications student and Michael Celso, a Social Work student. The students each received the Helen L. Stevens Faculty-Led Program Scholarship, helping to off-set $500 of the cost of the summer programs. The College is currently working to develop more scholarships to support study abroad opportunities for students.

Emeritus and retired faculty from seven CASA departments, including some that have merged with other departments, attended the luncheon with current faculty from nine of the departments offering updates on their activities. The attendees included a former dean and emeritus faculty member, Robert Moore, who taught in the Division of Technology. Moore, who is in his mid-90s, said he recalled hiring Helen Ross Mico, a retired Health Science professor in attendance, and Lee Walton, a retired kinesiology professor in attendance.

Yoshihiro Uchida honored at re-dedication ceremony

The College of Applied Sciences and Arts celebrated the renovation of Yoshihiro Uchida Hall Nov. 7 and honored the man whose name adorns the building.

The festivities included a panel of speakers, taiko drummers, judo demonstrations in the dojo, guided tours of the renovated space that is shared by the College of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, and the presentation of a medal for distinguished service from San José State University President Mohammad Qayoumi to Yoshihiro Uchida.  The event was hosted by the Office of the President, the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, University Advancement and the department of Kinesiology.

Namesake

While the event celebrated the reopening of Uchida Hall, one of the primary focuses included honoring Uchida for his long history of service to the campus.

Uchida, ’47 Biological Sciences, has had a long history with San José State University, starting when he enrolled in 1940 as a chemical engineering student. While enrolled, he competed on the wrestling team and coached police students in judo, a sport he started as a 10-year-old in Garden Grove to connect to his family’s Japanese culture. He left the campus for four years, when he was drafted into the U.S. military during World War II while his family members were incarcerated in internment camps in Poston and Tule Lake. The former men’s gymnasium in the then-Spartan Complex West building was used as a registration center for Santa Clara County Japanese and Japanese-American citizens before they were sent to internment camps during World War II. As part of the re-dedication, a plaque will be placed outside the gymnasium to denote its historic significance.

When Uchida returned to campus after WW II, he re-enrolled at SJSU and graduated with a degree in biological sciences in 1947. He continued to teach judo and was instrumental in creating a judo program on campus as well as bringing the sport to national and international attention. Uchida helped to establish a weight class system for judo that allowed it to be practiced as a competitive sport, helping to spread the sport throughout collegiate circles. He also worked to establish judo as a sport in the Amateur Athletic Union.

The first National AAU championships were hosted by San José State in 1953. Uchida was the tournament director. On an international level, he was able to qualify judo as a sport in the Olympics and was the first Olympic judo coach to the United States judo team in 1964 for the Tokyo Olympics. In 2012, he attended his tenth Summer Olympics in London to watch SJSU’s Marti Malloy take bronze.

In addition to his efforts on campus and with judo, Uchida has also contributed to the greater community. He founded the Japanese American Chamber of Silicon Valley in 1996 and serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board; founder of the National Collegiate Judo Association; Chairman of the Japanese American Citizen League Advisory Board; Board of Director for the US Olympic Committee (1996-2000;) President of Uchida Enterprises, Inc.; Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese American National Museum in Southern California; Board of Trustee for the San Jose Chamber of Commerce’s San Jose Metro Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee; Elected President Emeritus of United States Judo, Inc.; and more.

In 1997, San José State University renamed Spartan Complex West to Yoshihiro Uchida Hall in honor of Uchida’s many years of service to the university and to the community. Uchida received the San José State University Tower Award, in 1992; was inducted into the SJSU Hall of Fame in 1999 and into the SJSU “Legends Hall of Fame” in 2012, to name a few of the honors and awards bestowed on him through the years.

Re-dedication

The festivities on Nov. 7 started off at the North Entrance to YUH, with San José Taiko performing for 15 minutes as the crowd began gathering for the event. Chuck Jefferson, an SJSU judo alum, served as the emcee for the afternoon. The speakers included:

SJSU President Mohammad Qayoumi

Gene Bleymaier, director of athletics

Alice Hines, interim dean for the College of Applied Sciences and Arts

Honorable Norman Mineta, a former U.S. Congressman, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Commcerce, and former Mayor of San José

Michiyasu Sengoku, a SJSU judo alum, Japanese businessman and philanthropist

Masato Watanabe, the Japanese general consul, San Francisco

Sam Liccardo, San José District 3 councilman and mayor elect

Matthew Masucci, chair of Kinesiology

Near the end of the ceremony, Qayoumi presented Uchida with the medal for distinguished service, noting that the prestigious award is rarely given and has only been bestowed upon two other people. Uchida kept his own remarks short as he thanked those in attendance, who numbered close to 250. The guest list included distinguished alumni of the judo program, community members, donors, university administrators, faculty from CASA, students and more.

During the ceremony Masucci and Mineta both talked about the history of Yoshihiro Uchida Hall and its connection to World War II. Then known as the Men’s Gymnasium, the building was used as a processing center for Santa Clara County Japanese resident aliens and Japanese-Americans to report for registration into internment camps during World War II. Qayoumi commissioned a plaque to acknowledge the use of the space during World War II. An artist rendering designed by Michelle Frey, of the Office of Marketing and Communications, was on display at the event. The plaque will be fabricated by Nathan Cox, of the SJSU Foundry, and will soon be on display.

As part of the ceremony, Marti Malloy, an SJSU judo alum and Olympic medalist, accepted two proclamations on behalf of the judo team. One was presented from the Japanese Consul General Masato Watanabe and the other from the city of San José, presented by Sam Liccardo, District 3 councilman and recently confirmed as mayor-elect.

At the end of the ceremony, Uchida invited those on stage with him to cut a ceremonial ribbon. Following the formal program, guests were invited to watch judo demonstrations in the dojo/mat room, take a tour of the building with highlights of the renovated spaces, watch video tributes to Uchida in the amphitheater or enjoy a performance by TONE Ensemble, a jazz quartet, on the rooftop terrace while helping themselves to light refreshments.

Renovations

YUH reopened in August for the start of the Fall 2014 semester after a year-long renovation. The $54.7 million bond-financed project includes the renovation of YUH, which cost $27 million, and the renovation of Spartan Complex that is currently under way. From conception of the design to the final construction, the project took two years and five months. The newly renovated space in YUH is shared by the College of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, two of the units hosting the re-dedication ceremony with the Office of the President, University Advancement and the department of Kinesiology.

The space has a refurbished mat room that will be used by SJSU Judo, which has a history of training Olympic athletes. The space will be shared with other Kinesiology courses that use floor mats, such as yoga. The building has an amphitheater that is already being used for several large classes this Fall semester and will be used to feature a video tribute to Uchida on the day of the event. On the second floor, the roof of the amphitheater has been designed as a terrace garden that looks out toward Tower Lawn.

The building has an updated weight training classroom, an exercise physiology research lab, stress management lab and classroom, and an updated instructional gymnasium. The building has additional office space that is being used jointly by Kinesiology faculty and staff, along with the Athletics Department.

CHAMP Senior Wellness Fair draws nearly 800 visitors

On Oct. 23, Leticia Medrano walked through the gymnasium at the Timpany Center, visiting vendor booths at the fourth annual Senior Wellness Fair.

With a bag full of pamphlets about community resources for seniors and free giveaways she had collected throughout the morning, she sat down to have her blood pressure taken by one of the many student volunteers from San José State University’s College of Applied Sciences and Arts Valley Foundation School of Nursing.

Medrano said she was having a great time at the Timpany Center, where she takes water classes and a better bones and balance class.

Nursing student Heather Bishop noted that the blood pressure booth was one of the few with a line.

“The seniors are usually on top of their blood pressure, but they like to check it,” said Jonathan Dinson, who took Medrano’s readings and said his class has been volunteering at the Timpany Center all semester. “She’s one of the regulars.”

The students said they do not diagnosis high blood pressure, but they can write a reading down for visitors that they can share with a doctor who can decide what they need.

College of Applied Sciences and Arts Interim Dean Alice Hines meets with Occupational Therapy Professor Megan Chang along with OT students Julie Rahan and Ashley Dawson at the Senior Wellness Fair.

College of Applied Sciences and Arts Interim Dean Alice Hines, from left, meets with Occupational Therapy Professor Megan Chang along with OT students Julie Rahan and Ashley Dawson at the Senior Wellness Fair.

Veronica Cavillo, a student in the School of Social Work, interviews a senior about his mood at the Seniro Wellness Fair Oct. 23. The event is a collaboration between San Jose State University Center for Healthy Aging in Multicultural Populations (CHAMP,) the Santa Clara County Department of Aging and Adult Services and the Timpany Center.

Veronica Cavillo, a student in the School of Social Work, interviews a senior about his mood at the Senior Wellness Fair Oct. 23. The event is a collaboration between San Jose State University Center for Healthy Aging in Multicultural Populations (CHAMP,) the Santa Clara County Department of Aging and Adult Services and the Timpany Center.

 

Jonathan Dinson, left, takes Leticia Medrano's blood pressure at the Senior Wellness Fair on Oct. 23. Dinson, a student in SJSU's Valley Foundation School of Nursing, was just one of dozens of students to volunteer at the wellness fair from the College of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Jonathan Dinson, left, takes Leticia Medrano’s blood pressure at the Senior Wellness Fair on Oct. 23. Dinson, a student in SJSU’s Valley Foundation School of Nursing, was just one of dozens of students to volunteer at the wellness fair from the College of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Bishop noted that in addition to giving the nursing students a chance to practice a skill, they also learned about resources in the community.

“We are working with seniors a lot this semester so there are a lot of resources we can share with patients,” she said.

The Senior Wellness Fair hosted at the Timpany Center on Oct. 23 brought in more than 789 attendees this year, with many students from SJSU’s College of Applied Sciences and Arts volunteering to interact with the population.

The Senior Wellness Fair is a partnership between SJSU’s Center for Healthy Aging in Multicultural Populations, the Santa Clara County Department of Aging and Adult Services and the Timpany Center, now in its fourth year. CHAMP is an interdisciplinary effort that includes faculty from the College of Applied Sciences and Arts’ School of Social Work, the Valley Foundation School of Nursing, Nutrition and Food Science, Kinesiology, Occupational Therapy as well as the departments of Psychology and Communicative Disorders and Sciences.

Sadhna Diwan, a professor of Social Work and the director of CHAMP, said the goals for students at the event are to practice implementing health promotion education with seniors; engage in interprofessional learning through exposure to the work of other disciplines or professions and learn about vital community resources that can be helpful to older adults and their families.

Martha Ortiz, a recreation therapy major, said she and her fellow students were giving a survey to seniors to find out if they are feeling unfilled in any part of their lives – physical, mental, social, spiritual or cognitive.

“We help them realize which area they should focus on and give them resources,” she said.

Ortiz said they were trying to help seniors understand that they can define their leisure time to help them feel more fulfilled, such as getting outdoors for a hike or a picnic.

Danelle Willey, a Nutrition and Food Science major, said she and the students at her booth were working with seniors to educate them on the sodium in different food products.

They had printed out labels of several condiments and popular food items, such as fish sauce and a frozen meal.

“We want to bring to light the high amount of sodium we can eat without realizing it,” Willey said. “It can put people at risk for high blood pressure, osteoporosis and other chronic diseases. By lower intake now, they can lessen the effects or not have them get them as early in life.”

One of the surprise items with a high level of sodium was the fish sauce, which contains 99 percent of the daily recommended amount of sodium. The students handed out free samples of a salt-free Mrs. Dash seasoning.

“They’ve been very receptive,” Willey said, of the seniors visiting the booth.

Students in the School of Social Work did a short survey with seniors to determine their mood to see if they might be in need of services to deal with a depressed mood.

“It can be a sensitive topic if they have a low mood,” said Lindsay Lytle. “We can tell them where to go for help and how to talk about it.”

The students had a sheet with community resources to share with seniors. Lytle said if anyone had a low mood they recommended the person speaking with a primary doctor to follow up.

Ashley Dawson and Julie Rahan, two Occupational Therapy students, worked with seniors to assess their risk of falls. At their booth, they first surveyed seniors to get their perception of their risk of falling and then did an assessment with the seniors.

“Depending on how they do physically, we make some recommendations,” Rahan said, of how they can prevent falls.

At the event, they offered a Falls Prevention workshop.

“Their perception is usually similar to the assessment,” Dawson said, noting that the seniors they had encountered in the morning were happy to do the assessment.

For more on CHAMP, visit: http://www.sjsu.edu/champ/