Healthy campus ‘Izmir’ model

Izmir University of Economics (IEU), which has implemented the concept of a ‘healthy campus’ to enhance the physical, social, and sports development of students, hosted academics and administrative staff from universities in Europe to present its activities. Visitors from 7 different countries who came to Izmir were detailedly informed about the activities of IEU aimed at youth and faculty members based on the healthy campus concept. The event organized in collaboration with the International Relations Directorate and the Health, Culture, and Sports Directorate of IEU took place under the title ‘Erasmus International Education Week: Healthy Campus Concept’, with the participation of faculty members and administrative staff from Germany, France, Italy, Slovakia, Poland, Greece, and Romania.
The event showcased the Güzelbahçe Campus. Presentations were made to the guests regarding IEU’s investments in a healthy campus, opportunities related to physical activity and sports activities, healthy nutrition, and psychological support. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Evrim Üstünlüoğlu, the Dean of Students at IEU, delivered a comprehensive seminar on the importance of the ‘healthy campus’ concept for higher education institutions and its contribution to a healthy society. Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Aslı Ceylan Öner informed the participants about the design of the IEU Güzelbahçe campus, which was laid as an example of a sustainable healthy campus on June 12.
Building on the healthy campus concept, Prof. Dr. Öner provided information about some of the studies conducted throughout IEU. Prof. Dr. Öner, who is also the executive of the IEU Healthy Campus Commission, emphasized that they focus on physical and mental health, healthy nutrition, environmental health, and sustainability. She stated, ‘We frequently organize sports activities and tournaments for our staff and students at our university. I can mention pilates, zumba, and yoga classes, as well as table tennis tournaments. Our campus gym is free for our youth and faculty members to use. Both inside and outside the campus, we have started organizing social events under the name of Wellbeing Day to contribute to physical health. We have facilitated access to healthy foods on our campus. For instance, instead of pastries or sweets, we started offering fruits like figs and walnuts to our guests during events. We took an important step towards raising awareness. We use various attractive visuals on our campus to encourage everyone to eat healthily’.
Regarding psychological support, Prof. Dr. Öner mentioned that two clinical psychologists within the Psychological Development and Counseling Center provide support to students requesting psychotherapy sessions. She said, ‘We organize awareness seminars on topics such as addiction and anxiety management. We ensure that all our students have equal access to educational opportunities, and we are very sensitive about this. We have increased the number of recycling points within the campus. We have begun to take a more active role in recycling and sustainability. In order to reduce plastic usage, we have placed water fountains at many points on our campus. Our youth can get water from the fountains or fill their thermoses instead of using plastic bottles each time. We have created walking areas within our campus. All meals served in our cafeteria are checked in terms of nutrients and calorie values. We have increased the number of awareness campaigns and seminars to reduce the carbon footprint. All these are among the fundamental steps we have taken in line with the ‘healthy campus’ goal’.
IEU’s International Relations Office Director Hülya İncekara stated that they have signed an exemplary event internationally, and the guests left Izmir very happy and satisfied. İncekara mentioned that they organized some sports activities with the guests in line with the healthy lifestyle concept, emphasizing once again that IEU showed its differences. She said, ‘We did various physical exercises like pilates and yoga with the guests for them to individually experience our healthy campus. At the end of the event, the participants prepared and offered healthy snacks specific to their countries with Chef Instructor Aypar Satı from the IEU Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department and gastronomy students. We also organized trips to Ephesus, Virgin Mary’s House, and Şirince, as well as an Izmir tour for our guests. We provided them with information about the social and cultural life of the regions’.