Contact: Allison Matthews
Photo by: submitted
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Aside from a great football ticket, there's nothing more prized on game day than a good parking spot at Mississippi State, and for those who commute to campus regularly, the pursuit of that coveted spot is year round.
Aside from the MSU Bulldogs doing their work on the football field, there is an integral crew of MSU staff members who operate behind the scenes to ensure that all Bulldogs and visitors have a great campus experience.
Under the leadership of new director Jeremiah Dumas, the MSU Parking and Transit Services staff is setting their sights to being more effective than ever in their service to the university and its guests.
Not only has this year seen expanded shuttle services on campus and in the local community, as well as adjustments to campus parking designations, the department's staff members also have taken a personal, yet team-oriented challenge to improve their own health and wellness. The results are visible: more energy for work, increased comradery, enhanced self-esteem, and a wealth of other personal benefits.
The group lost 22 percent of their collective body weight--more than 300 pounds total--and exercised the equivalent of more than 8,000 miles.
Dumas, who began his new role this spring and also serves as MSU's sustainability director, had the idea of challenging staff with a unique team-building program. He turned to the campus's recreational sports facility, the Sanderson Center, and Longest Student Health Center for resources to support the health and fitness challenge.
"There was a little selfishness on my part because I wanted a good excuse to get active and lose some weight," Dumas confessed, but he said the team-building aspect turned out to exceed his expectations. The program also played into an increasing culture that embraces health and wellness education on campus.
While some of the Parking and Transit Services staff members walk frequently as part of their daily campus responsibilities, other staff members, such as shuttle bus drivers, are much less physically active during the workday.
The staff randomly divided into four competing teams--the Meter Maids, Citation Nation, Boot Leggers and Transit Bandits.
"We had a lot of fun picking with each other, one team against the other," said Sgt. Vic Nickels, a senior member of the Parking and Transit Services staff who formerly was with the MSU police department.
"I'm the oldest guy in the department, and I lost 26 pounds," Nickels said. "We have one guy who lost 30 pounds." The competitive nature of the program was just one of many motivational elements, he said.
Dumas said staff at the Sanderson Center worked to help with exercises and incentives.
He also invited dietician Mandy Conrad to present a session on healthy eating, which Dumas said gave good information as employees both worked together to reinforce healthy habits and competed against one another to see who could achieve the most results.
Nickels said he significantly altered his diet, and began lunching on lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and other "rabbit food."
"Two cans of tuna with some relish was my big reward," he said, and he explained that he has continued the healthy eating, cutting portion sizes in addition to opting for healthier choices. Not wanting to let the competition get ahead, he also employed a rigorous exercise routine and purchased a stationary bike, which he began riding 30 miles a day.
The entire staff checked their weight, voluntarily and confidentially, twice each week at the Longest Student Health Center. More than 35 participants began to see progress as the numbers on the scale decreased.
Nickels said that after about a week of exercising, his quality of sleep also significantly improved. He said his cholesterol levels also decreased.
"We all began to feel healthier," Dumas said.
He explained that the health challenge incorporated incentives from the fall football season.
"We calculated mileage from Starkville to every university we were playing this season in football. It came to some 3,350 miles, and each group worked to see if they could cover that number of miles over the summer," Dumas said.
Employees put away the golf carts available for campus patrols, and instead they used bicycles or walked. They even incorporated group bike rides after work and Zumba sessions during lunch breaks.
Nickels emphasized that the whole experience was positive, educational, and produced lasting results.
"Everybody lost some weight. Some lost more than others," he said. "When you go to the scales and you lose a pound or two, it motivates you. And when you've got a partner, it encourages you," added Nickels, who said he wants to live a long life to watch his new grandchild grow up.
Similarly to how football teams sometimes reward their coaches with an icy soak from the cooler after a good game, parking and transit staff showed Dumas appreciation for his leadership with a barrage of sticky notes and other pranks covering his office on Boss's Day this fall.
The healthy challenge appears to have paid off. Not only are parking and transit staff members feeling healthier overall, but the challenge also gave them mutual goals that built a stronger bond among the co-workers.
"It was great to see everyone come together as a team," Dumas said.
For more information about Mississippi State, visit www.msstate.edu.