JULY —SEPTEMBER, 2017
Recycle, Upcycle, Reuse!
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Breathe In Tranquility, Breathe Out Stress By Lisa Voorhees
Faculty notes
Picture it, you have had a long grueling day at the office, there’s nothing in the refrigerator to eat, the kids are hungry and making that fact known, the house is a mess, and to top it all off, that big paper you haven’t had a chance to work on is due tonight! Typically, this type of scenario would make the average person’s stress levels skyrocket. Several response options are available: 1. Have an adult tantrum fit 2. Ignore all of it and hope it will go away 3. In the words of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, go into “the depths of despair” (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Sullivan, & Sullivan, 1985) 4. Practice Pranayamic breathing
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An immediate solution that requires no equipment, but can drastically reduce your stress levels on the spot, is Pranayamic breathing. According to Joshi, Kiran, Singla, and Sah (2016), Pranayamic breathing can dramatically reduce sensory stress levels and improve cognitive function in a matter of minutes. For online students, this immediate response could be a powerful tool that can be employed for success in an online program. Pranayamic breathing is different from how you breathe normally during the day. When you inhale, you do so slowly and you do so from deep down in the lungs. In fact, you should visualize the breath reaching down into the belly, and you will actually feel your belly expanding as you practice the breathing (Pal & Velkumary, 2004). Inhale through your nose this way for 4 counts, hold the breath for two counts, and then exhale through your mouth slowly for 4 counts. After all of the breath is exhaled, wait for 2 counts and then repeat the process 4 more times. What exactly is Pranayamic breathing? For centuries, people in India have been using Pranayamic breathing techniques as part of their daily yogic practice. With the worldwide popularity of yoga taking off in the past 20 years or so, Pranayamic breathing has reached a much larger audience and is put to use by millions of people as they seek to reduce stress, increase vitality, and improve their overall health. Prana is defined as “the vital life source” (Ansari, 2016, p 163). Thus, Pranayamic breathing is accessing the vital life force and utilizing the breath to push that life force into all areas of the body, thus increasing vitality. Now that you know what it is, you need to know how to do it. First, find a pose for your body that you feel comfortable with. I like to be sitting down and try to sit up straight. You don’t have to be in a yoga pose; rather, you can do this in any pose. You an even practice Pranayamic breathing standing up, but I prefer to do it seated if I can. In conclusion, Pranayamic breathing can be a quick and effective technique to reduce your stress in an instant. You do not need special equipment to employ this technique; you just need to know how to do it and use it to help you be more successful inside and outside of the online classroom. It is not going to cook dinner, or write that paper for you, but it will allow your mind to calm down a bit so that you can come up with a plan to tackle your obstacles within your capabilities. ◆
Faculty notes
It can be difficult to focus on what we are capable of, and not capable of, when we feel overwhelmed and are overloaded with stress. According to Epel and Lithgow (2014) stress affects us not only psychologically, but biologically. This is a problem that everyone faces at one time or another, but online students have to deal with it more frequently. This is the double-edged sword of online education; you can have it all, but you will invariably have more stress to deal with.
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MOUNTAIN REGION GREENTEAM
Spotlight!!!
By William Schroer
Bridgepoint’s Denver operations, including Ashford University education and enrollment services and all functions of the University of the Rockies, include a vigorous sustainability program. The keystone of this program’s success is the Mountain Region GreenTeam. This Team is a volunteer group of Bridgepoint, Ashford, and Rockies’ employees representing all departments organized to promote sustainability measures and practices. Membership requires director or manager approval. GreenTeam membership represents approximately 20% of the Denver workforce, or ranging between 80-90 members throughout the year. The GreenTeam has emerged as the most active, productive, and popular employee-based volunteer group in Denver. (There is no official designation, but the GreenTeam has the largest membership among groups of this type in Denver and based on our results we are the most active and productive.) GreenTeam members are the foundation for all sustainability activities in Denver and are most responsible for the activities’ collective success. Members robustly support and advance twelve programs and services through direct action and outreach with co-workers. All programs and services have been made available to all Denver employees. GreenTeam members occupy a pivotal role in maintaining energetic employee participation in the desk-side recycling service at Bridgepoint Plaza and across the street at the Tabor Center for the University of the Rockies. Mountain Region GreenTeam activities are immensely valuable and can be appraised through three measurements. Each activity includes one or more examples that evince the activities’ ecological and environmental value to American society whether the benefits are calculations of energy or water savings; reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; or mitigation of environmental damage. Plus, these activities generate cost reductions or monetary savings for Bridgepoint Education and the Universities as well as to their employees. Cost cutting examples include the salvaged shipping material and the surplus office supply services. Employees save money by accessing free shipping boxes and packing material for personal moves or home storage projects. Regular EcoPass users save about $5,000 annually in public transportation fares and avoided direct and indirect costs associated with driving
Results from 2016 highlight the GreenTeam’s outstanding achievements (see infographic chart below). Within the national group of large companies of comparable size, the Mountain Region GreenTeam ranks among the leading, employee-based sustainability groups. For example, it has developed a comprehensive waste reduction and management program and its public transportation engagement bears watching from a national perspective.
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Spotlight!!!
gasoline-powered vehicles. Employee access to no-cost electronic-recycling eliminates e-cycling service fees. Many employees have bagged valuable free items via the GreenTeam’s UpCycle exchange events such as shoes, clothes of all kinds, kitchenware, and athletic equipment. Also, these activities provide satisfying and enriching employee engagement and educational opportunities thereby making the work environment more desirable, comfortable, and fun. Happy, engaged employees are better, more productive workers. Mountain Region GreenTeam members become knowledgeable of, and well-skilled in, sustainability practices around the office and at home and can use their membership status on resumes to boost their employment value.
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Continued from page 5 — MOUNTAIN REGION GREENTEAM
Spotlight!!!
By William Schroer
To fully appreciate the GreenTeam’s achievement, let’s take a closer, in-depth look at the public transportation program. Bridgepoint Education provides all Denver employees an EcoPass that offers no-cost, unlimited bus and light rail service on an everyday, 24-hour basis. EcoPass ridership milestones are many. For example, based on a fall 2014 survey developed by the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) for Bridgepoint Education, Denver employees who use the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) bus and light rail system via the EcoPass program cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by the same amount that 29,000 trees could absorb from the atmosphere over the course of a year. Bridgepoint, Ashford, and University of the Rockies’ employees reduced their carbon footprint by a total of 699 tons of CO2 on an annual basis. These same commuters saved the equivalent of 71, 439 gallons of gasoline annually via their ridership on busses and light rail. Since 2014 these results have increased due to higher employment levels in Denver. Employee participation in public transportation is strong in Denver as the DRCOG survey calculated that 82% of employees use the bus or light rail service four- or five-days per work week. January 2016 fare increases by RTD also spotlight the value of the EcoPass program. Consider this: the current charge for an unlimited, annual bus and light rail pass is a hefty $1,881.00. In addition to free fares, Bridgepoint’s regular public transportation commuters in Denver save around $3,000.00 annually in avoided fuel, insurance, parking, vehicle maintenance and other driving costs according to DRCOG. Moreover, public transportation improves regional air quality. Considering that the EcoPass also relieves parking space congestion in both Denver buildings and is another mobility option during inclement weather days, this golden pass may be one of the nation’s best employee benefits. As part of its public transportation promotional activities, Bridgepoint Education is an energetic participant in Bike-To-Work Day (BTWD) celebrations, sponsored by DRCOG, and has formally engaged in the BTWD Business Challenge annually since 2012. Each year, Bridgepoint improves on its performance and in 2016 became a champion. On June 22, 2016, riders from Bridgepoint Education, Ashford University, and University of the Rockies made Bridgepoint the champion among all large business competitors in the nine-county Denver metro region that included corporations, companies, organizations, and agencies. Bridgepoint won the most prestigious contest: Class D Championship. Consider this list of august competitors that Bridgepoint bested: Colorado Department of Law, DaVita, CenturyLink, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, City and County of Denver, Regional Transportation District, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Denver Water, TIAA, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Bridgepoint again outperformed all other institutions of higher education in the nine-county region including the University of Colorado at Denver, Denver University, Metropolitan State University, and Regis University.
Bike-To-Work Day celebrates the importance of public transportation systems to economic development, public health, and environmental quality. It also highlights the multi-modal qualities of advanced public transportation networks that feature bus and light rail service, bicycling, and bike- and car-sharing options. This contest expands awareness and use of bicycles and, as a result, more employees will consider two-wheeling it to work, perhaps combined with bus/light rail travel, on a regular or occasional basis. A strong majority of Bridgepoint, Ashford, and University of the Rockies’ employees use public transportation for work commuting on an everyday or regular basis. BTWD also pays tribute to the valuable EcoPass benefit that provides no-cost, unlimited bus and light rail service for all Denver employees throughout RTD’s extensive metro-wide transit network.
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Spotlight!!!
Recognized as one of America’s premier bicycling events, BTWD 2016 attracted over 32,000 riders and 779 entrants competed in the Business Challenge. On June 22, Bridgepoint and the Universities signed up 152 riders who represented 27% of the Denver workforce.
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Continued from page 7 — MOUNTAIN REGION GREENTEAM
Spotlight!!!
By William Schroer
On top of the success of these programs and services, the performance of the Mountain Region GreenTeam is another clear example of how Bridgepoint Education, Ashford University, and the University of the Rockies contribute to American society and ultimately to its students. The crowning work of the GreenTeam is the enormous amounts of energy that are saved from its activities. The nation’s economy depends on abundant, affordable energy supplies to boost employment, speed communication, propel production, offer copious consumer choice, provide comfortable habitation, and maintain security.
The GreenTeam’s work also demonstrates how the faculty, management, and professional staff of Bridgepoint Education and the Universities effectively cooperate and pull together in common cause. This esprit de corps extends to cultivating the potential and addressing the needs of each student. The collective record of the Mountain Region GreenTeam’s achievements gives confidence to prospective business allies and potential students, who share a passion and dedication for sustainability, to form firm partnerships or make their higher education investment with Bridgepoint Education, Ashford University, and the University of the Rockies. ◆ Disclaimer - In this article, all results, calculations, and numerical totals have a complete paper trail record of documentation, whether it is self-evident from the noted survey or event results, reports from vendors or agencies, or from logs maintained by William Schroer. All documentation is available anytime.
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Linda Thomas Director of Facilities Operations Play video
Olivia Pollard Lead Faculty—College of Health, Human Services, and Science Play video
Talking Health
What Health Means to Me...
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Let’s do the Summer Squash!
Grocer’s corner
By Dr. Roxanne Beharie
Summer squash can be found in shapes ranging from scallop or patty pan (round and flattened like a plate with scalloped edges - tends to be white, yellow, or green), to a constricted neck (thinner stem end than blossom end - tends to be yellow), to cylindrical (like a zucchini - tends to be green, yellow, or almost white). A cup of sliced, raw zucchini can yield 1.21g of protein, 24.93mcg of folate, and 1.36g of dietary fiber among other nutrients, but keep in mind that you should not peel squash since many of the nutrients are in the peel. So, let’s clarify something before going any further. Not all squash are created equal, at least not nutritionally. For example, because summer squash is immature, it does not pack quite the nutritional punch as its winter squash counterparts. This is because summer squash is harvested before the rind hardens and the fruit matures. However, do not let this deter you from exploring the many variations of this vegetable, especially since the blossoms of this vegetable are also edible. Here is a quick trick to identify the blossoms that you should eat: the stem of the male blossoms are thin (eat these), while the stems of the female blossoms are thick (avoid eating these as you may reduce production of more squash). The male blossoms can be part of a salad or can be stuffed with meats or cheeses them battered and fried. Swoon! However, if you are not quite that adventurous yet that you are ready to try the blossoms, head over to your local grocery store or farmers’ market and grab the actual vegetable to make this easy and quick recipe from Sara Kate Gillingham at http:// www.thekitchn.com/recipe-baked-summersquash-recipes-from-the-kitchn-60018. Baked Summer Squash INGREDIENTS 2 pounds summer squash (zucchini, pattypan squash, yellow crookneck squash) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon flaked salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the stem ends and slice the squash cross-wise in 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Toss with the olive oil. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Arrange the squash rounds in a 9x12-inch rectangular baking dish, or 10-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another five minutes until the top is bubbling and crispy. Enjoy! :) ◆
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• • • •
International Group B Strep Awareness Month Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month Cord Blood Awareness Month National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month • 28 World Hepatitis Day
August • • • • • •
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month National Breastfeeding Month National Immunization Awareness Month Psoriasis Awareness Month 1 - 7 World Breastfeeding Week 7 - 13 National Health Center Week
September • • • • • • • •
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Fruits & Veggies—More Matters ® Month Healthy Aging ® Month National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month Prostate Cancer Awareness Month 10 - 16 National Suicide Prevention Week 27 National Women's Health & Fitness Day 29 World Heart Day
Next Quarter Conferences Women Leaders in Global Health October 11-12, 2017 | Stanford, CA 2017 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo November 4-8, 2017 | Atlanta, GA 2017 Rural Health Conference November 15-16, 2017 | Bartlett, NH
Your Health Calendar
July
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Contributors
Lisa Voorhees is a researcher and online instructor from California. She has a deep commitment to online learning and is excited to have the opportunity to teach others in an online platform. In her free time she enjoys writing, dancing, yoga, crochet, and hiking.
William M. Schroer—Works as a Workplace Services’ Administrator for the Bridgepoint Facilities’ Department in Denver, CO. Mr. Schroer also serves as the Mountain Region GreenTeam Coordinator. Mr. Schroer has worked for Bridgepoint Education since August 2011 after completing a successful thirty-nine year career in economic and energy public policy development at the national, state, and local levels.
Linda Thomas is the Director of Facilities Operations, overseeing the day-today real estate and workplace environment operations. With more than 10 years of operations experience, Linda understands the overall employee engagement of a clean and inviting workplace environment.
Olivia Pollard is a full-time lead faculty member and primarily teaches in the Health Informatics Program of the College of Health, Human Services, and Science. She is a proud advocate for the importance of data throughout organizations and the quality of that data especially in healthcare. Although she is based in New York City, she often enjoys outings with her family in Philadelphia, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, California, and Arizona.
Dr. Roxanne Beharie is an Assistant Professor with Ashford University. Dr. Beharie earned her doctorate in Public Health from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Beharie also earned a BS in Exercise Science from the University of Pittsburgh and an MPA in Health Services Management from Mercy College.
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ALL IMAGES USED WITH PERMISSION.
Special Thanks A very special thank you goes out to our copy editor for this edition, Heather Auger, Instructor of English, Division of General Education.
Thanks!!
1. Ansari, R. M. (2016). Kapalabhati pranayama: An answer to modern day polycystic ovarian syndrome and coexisting metabolic syndrome?. International Journal of Yoga, 9 (2), 163. 2. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation & Sullivan, K. (Producers) & Sullivan, K. (Director). (1985). Anne of Green Gables [Motion Picture]. (Available from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 10202 West Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA,90232. 3. Epel, E. S., & Lithgow, G. J. (2014). Stress biology and aging mechanisms: toward understanding the deep connection between adaptation to stress and longevity. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 69(Suppl 1), S10-S16. 4. Joshi, A., Kiran, R., Singla, H. K., & Sah, A. N. (2016). Stress management through regulation of blood pressure among college students. Work, 54(3), 745-752. 5. Pal, G.K., & Velkumary, S., (2004). Effect of short-term practice of breathing exercises of autonomic functions in normal human volunteers. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 120(2), 115.
References
Breathe In Tranquility, Breathe Out Stress
“A healthy attitude is contagious, but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier..” - Tom Stoppard
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