MRU residents playing popular school yard game lowering stress and building bonds
A rambunctious game of dodgeball is going on in a Mount Royal University gym and students from nearby residence joined the action.
The theme was Call of Duty, which was made apparent by the overwhelming number of costumes, face masks, camouflage, and war paint.
This was the first evening of the monthly activity, and when students from East and West res started to mix, fantastic things happened.
Landon Shein, fourth year criminal justice major and residence advisor, organized this event. But he also recognized the positive benefits that would become the students ducking and dodging the sting of rubber balls.
“You get to meet people. It brings people from East and West together, when generally it’s just one or the other. It’s proven that people who are more involved with their school, whether it’s residence or clubs, perform better academically.”
In 2013, the American College Health Association surveyed a sample of students from four Albertan universities regarding their health, and the findings were not necessarily positive ones.
Mitchell Oucharek menacingly stares into the camera, decked out in his war gear not usually found at dodgeball games.
Photo by Tara Rathgeber
It revealed that less than 50 per cent of these post-secondary students were meeting their recommended weekly participation in moderate to severely strenuous physical activity.
It wasn’t only physical health that was looked at though. The survey showed that 38 per cent of the students also suffered from a degree of stress that creates a negative impact on their lives.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America explained that stress can be lessened with physical activity.
With weekly exercise requirements being met and dodgeball games coming organized monthly, Mount Royal residents can start to get moving, make friends, and relax.