Month: April 2020

Expert Q&A: Jay Lopez on COVID-19 and Event Management

Site Header Image

May 24, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The College of Applied Health Sciences has experts in many areas that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Periodically we will ask these experts about how their areas of expertise have been impacted and what we can expect in a post-COVID-19 world. Today, we ask Jay Lopez, an RST graduate student and event manager for the City of Long Beach (Calif.), about how COVID-19 affects the event management industry.

Q: What alternative event formats could you use in the wake of COVID-19?

A: The leading thought process for controlled venue events, (ticketed with a perimeter fence) is to increase the venue size and lower capacity. This increases the square footage and the reduction in attendees allows for social distancing. Event managers will incur additional costs with lower revenue, which could affect how events do business. However, city agencies and event venues will prioritize safety and to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Q: How do you handle a crisis at the event?

A: If a crisis were to arise, there are measures implemented prior to the event. All large events are mandated to have Fire and Police department personnel staffed on site. Additionally, staff and security are hired by the event. A command post is established by the City of Long Beach and is manned with fire, police and city staff. The command post staff can hear all communications via radios. If a crises arises, all communications and coordination is immediately handed off to the command post. If necessary, additional city services can be requested and diverted to the event to address any issues on site.

Q: How do you reassure event visitors about safety?

A: Effective marketing is essential and additional messaging is needed with the rise of COVID-19. Marketing will be critical to ease the concerns of the general public. Marketing materials should accurately depict the new policies and procedures implemented to abate the spread of germs. Safety visuals when arriving on site will play a vital role. In order for this to be successful, measures expressed via marketing must be present and visually represented on site. Marketing can assist to foster a sense of safety prior to arriving.

Q: What can you do when things happen beyond your control (flights cancelled, etc.)?

A: In the event industry, we always say, “Prepare for the unexpected.” Event managers can prepare and plan for months to ensure operations and logistics are correct and roll out smoothly. Sometimes, situations arise that were not accounted for, or are completely out of anyone’s control. Event managers think on their feet when problems arise and it derives from experience. Every situation is different as are events. Frankly, you deal with the problem when it occurs. There is no one size-fits-all solution. You cope and adjust with what you have.

Q: What are some best practices you recommend for event planners during a crisis like this? 

A: Always consult your local health department and local authorities. Currently, the City of Long Beach is in the process of developing policies and producers relating to COVID-19. Events will be mandated to implement new policies and procedures in order to host an event in Long Beach.  Additionally, event managers will need to conduct a throughout review of their operations. Inevitably, costs will increase due to the required policies and procedures. They will need to change operations and revise the scope of their events to make the necessary accommodations. Some events may not be able to cope with the additional items required of them due to costs, venue, operations, etc. Cancellation of the event may be the only viable option.

Q: What lessons can event planners take from previous situations, such as 9/11, Swine flu, H1N1, etc?

A: The event industry has not encountered a threat in the past such as COVID-19. Each and every situation calls for different accommodations. Event managers can study past situations and pull items that reflect current events. However, events by nature concentrate thousands of people in one location with close proximity to one another. Only time will tell if the implemented measures undertaken have a true effect on limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Q: What do you need to do after the event?

A: Post-event evaluations are critical to measure event participant’s comfort with new policies and procedures. Event managers need to take into account how participants felt on site. Did they feel there was enough handwashing stations? Was there enough hand-sanitizer dispensers? Did they feel social distancing was accommodated? Did people follow the facemask requirement?

Event managers shall also provide feedback on how well the new policies were implemented. Were the lines long stations? Do we need additional staff for future events to manage? Did people follow the rules on personal protective equipment? Revenue must be measured. Did the event make sense to hold in terms of expenditures and revenue?

Comprehensive evaluations are critical in the new era of events. Costs associated with COVID-19 will be the guiding factor on how events cope moving forward. This will be the new norm until/if a vaccine is created and we can reach herd immunity.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

Tags: , ,

Related news

Expert Q&A: David Strauser, COVID-19 and Marginalized Workers

May 11, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The College of Applied Health Sciences has experts in many areas that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Periodically we will ask these experts about how their areas of expertise have been impacted and what we can expect in a post-COVID-19 world. Today, we ask David Strauser, a professor in the department of Kinesiology and Community Health, about how marginalized workers are affected by COVID-19 workplace conditions.

According to David Strauser, for marginalized workers, the stress does not come from losing work, but instead from having to work during a pandemic. (Stock image)

Q: How much more difficult is a loss of work due to an act of God like this on the so-called marginalized worker? They can’t get unemployment or other services.

A: Loss of work is always hard for individuals because it creates financial insecurity, a sense of personal uncertainty, and lack of control. This is especially true when individuals do not see the economic change coming (e.g., others being laid off, talks of downsizing). Workers who are marginalized are at a significant disadvantage because they do not have, or lack access to, the material and instrumental resources that other workers may have access to that allows them to cope with being furloughed or terminated due to lack of work. In addition, the environment in which many marginalized workers work and reside are under consistent personal and environmental stressors that limit the individual’s co-workers, family and community from providing the much-needed emotional support to manage the situation. 

The passage of the CARES Act attempts to address the financial issues with unemployment by expanding eligibility for unemployment, supplementing typical unemployment amount by $600 per week through July 31, 2020, and providing an additional 13 weeks of coverage from 26 weeks to 39 weeks. In Illinois, the maximum unemployment amount is $471 per week. Under the CARES Act, that amount increases to $1,071 ($471 + $600).  However, few marginalized workers will come close to getting that amount. In Illinois, unemployment is based on 47 percent of an individual’s total two quarters of earnings divided by 26 weeks. If an individual makes $30,000 per year ($15,000 for 2 quarters), his or her unemployment benefit would be $271 per week based on 47 percent of the two-quarter earnings ($7,050) divided by 26 weeks. The CARES Act provides an additional $600 per week, increasing the weekly benefit to $871 per week through July 31, 2020.  

However, it is important to note that for many marginalized workers, the stress does not come from losing work, but instead from having to work. Many marginalized workers are considered necessary employees (e.g., janitorial/cleaning, Certified Nursing Assistants, Nursing Home Aides). As a result, they must report to work and work in situations where they are at increased risk of being exposed to COVID-19. Health care technicians and those working in the meat-packing and food-processing plants across the country provide a great example of this. We are on the verge of a meat shortage in the country because so many packing plants have had to close due to workers being sick with COVID-19. In addition to increased health risk, with schools being closed and reduced access to childcare, many workers are dealing with how to manage younger children who are left at home. Finally, many marginalized workers are in the group of individuals who have secondary health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, that place them at increased risk for adverse effects COVID-19. Lack of access to appropriate health care also increases stress.

Q: Where can workers turn when they lose gig jobs or employment that doesn’t come with benefits?

A: In Illinois, gig workers will have access to unemployment benefits starting May 11, 2020. The delay on getting these funds to gig workers will likely place individuals in significant financial distress and force them to make hard choices between putting food on the table or paying rent.  As outlined above, when individuals become eligible, funds may not be enough to provide financial relief.  Individuals may also encounter difficulty navigating the system. With many nonprofits under financial pressure as well, programs designed to help individuals navigate governmental programs may no longer be available or may operate at a reduced capacity, further increasing stress on the unemployed. 

Q: Many marginalized workers cannot work from home. What can they do?

A: Many marginalized workers cannot work at home because they have been identified as necessary workers, placing them at increased risk for becoming infected. For many of the jobs held by marginalized workers, social distancing is not feasible and the work environment does not allow for many of the CDC guidelines to be implemented. Many of these workers also depend on public transportation, where social distancing can prove difficult. 

Q: Will those workers with comorbidities have more trouble re-entering the work force because of insurance concerns?

A: Access to health insurance and appropriate health care is a significant issue impacting many workers in the U.S., especially those working in low wage positions. COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on individuals with co-morbid health conditions, such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. A bigger potential issue emerging is further reduced physical capacity for those individuals with co-morbid conditions from the residual effects of being infected and recovering from COVID-19. The combination of working in positions with increased risk of infection, the presence of co-morbid conditions, and the lack of resources place individuals at increased physical and psychological risk of decreased health outcomes, which stresses an individual’s ability to meet the demand of work. Importantly, workers with comorbidities will face a difficult decision about re-entering the workforce. Although many may need to work to obtain health insurance, doing so may put them at increased risk of infection, especially given their comorbidities. Faced with this difficult choice, we cannot presume that workers will risk re-entering the workforce. Many may seek SSDI. But will they qualify? Can access Medicaid? This uncertainty and the lack of resources available to navigate the bureaucracy (for instance, some state governments are cutting funding for legal aid) are additional stressors with which these individuals must cope.

A group that will be significantly impacted that is not being talked about at all right now is high school students with disabilities who will be looking to transition from high school to work for the first time. It is likely that a large number of students with disabilities will not enter the labor market, placing them at increased risk for long-term unemployment and developing additional co-morbid physical and mental health conditions that will reduce future work capacity. Individuals aging out of foster care and those being released from prison will experience similar difficulties, placing them at risk for negative outcomes ranging from chronic unemployment, increased recidivism, and homelessness. Finally, adults who are participating in adult day services, that often include vocational services, will experience a cut in services placing them at increased risk for negative outcomes

Q: Workers on the H-2A guest worker program make up an estimated 10 percent of the U.S. agricultural workforce. But now the Trump administration is looking to cut their pay in the middle of a pandemic, ostensibly to help farmers. Your reaction? 

A: A further example of the current administration’s targeting of non-U.S. citizens combined with the devaluation of marginalized workers and the systemic problem of pay inequity. This is a good time for all of us to become reacquainted with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers movement in the late 1960s.   

Q: Black sanitation workers in Pittsburgh recently carried out a one-day strike to fight for protective clothing. How common is this?

A: I believe this is becoming more common as frontline workers are facing increased stress from the lack of access to necessary safety equipment. Workers at Amazon protested working conditions, and, after doing so, an individual who tried to organize workers was fired and publicly scapegoated by the company. Amazon is also being sued in New York because their warehouses are not following social distancing guidelines.  I have seen more ads for health care unions and their push to organize and demand a better work environment and increased safety on the job. Workers in Missouri filed an unsafe workplace complaint against Smithfield, and a judge ordered the company to comply with federal guidelines. In New York City, 10,000 correction officers have sued to remedy the lack of safety practices in jails and prisons that place both inmates and correctional officers at increased risk of COVID-19. In Richmond, Va., bus drivers called out of work to protest lack of hazard pay. Unions across the country are fighting for increased access to PPE and hazard pay. My guess is more will be coming as we become more aware of the issues and unsafe environments that many of these workers have had to endure since the start of the pandemic.

Despite actions by workers, industry is responding as well. There have been widespread attempts to discourage unions, and the president has issued an Executive Order declaring meat-packaging workers essential employees, essentially mandating them to work despite the poor work conditions. While many industries hold out their workers as “heroes on the front line,” they often implement policies that suppress wages, minimize workplace protections, and work to diminish bargaining power that could potentially lead to increased wages and protections on the job. Overall, the shortages of certain goods, such as meat, will lead to production-centric decisions, likely placing workers at increased risk. 

Q: Lower-income workers are still forced to go to their jobs, many via public transportation, where social distancing rules have not been followed. Is this emblematic of part of the problem for the marginalized worker?

A: Yes. This pandemic has actually lifted the veil on existing inequity in terms of pay, work conditions, and transportation. Issues in the workplace that negatively impact low-income workers are threefold. First, low-income workers typically are physically exposed to repetitive work, toxins, chemicals, and noise that cause harm. Second, low wages and the lack of benefits are financial factors that contribute to poor work environments and have been found to have a negative impact on health and well-being. Finally, an often-overlooked way the work can cause harm is psychosocially. Work that has high demands and low control, an imbalance between effort and reward, is socially isolated, and has real or perceived job insecurity negatively impact an individual’s health and well-being 

Q: Will these types of employees have the most difficult time when the economy does return?

A: Yes. The saying last hired, first fired, historically has applied during times of financial downturns, such as recessions. When the economy is strong, businesses must make more concessions to employees, and they are more accommodating to hiring and supporting marginalized individuals, including individuals with disabilities, criminal backgrounds, poor employment histories, and lower work skills.  When the labor market is tight, employers can afford to be more selective in who they hire and retain for positions. 

Q: What can be done, at a local, state or federal level, to protect these workers?
 
A: It would be my hope that as we deal with this as a country we continue to become aware of and increasingly uncomfortable with the fundamental inequity that exists in the work environment. In the short term, the government has implemented some good programs that are designed to target those workers most in need, such as increasing and extending unemployment benefits and the passage of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). It would also be good to see the implementation of hazard pay for those workers deemed necessary.  

However, it is important to point out that this pandemic has highlighted the issues of workplace safety, low wages, and the overall social inequity created by unhealthy work environments.  I think the common response from most individuals and businesses will be a desire to return to the pre-pandemic normal. But that environment was not good for a majority of workers in the United States. I think now is an opportune time to think bigger, and think change. In the long-term, it would be good to see the implementation of hazard pay for those workers deemed necessary, expanded Medicaid eligibility, the introduction and expansion of paid sick leave, and increased wages. Addressing issue related to affordable housing, discrimination, and a fairer system for addressing workplace injuries would also help ameliorate some of the problems workers face. Finally, the role of unions may need to get explored. Unions have traditionally voiced workers’ concerns about healthcare, paid sick leave, increased wages, a grievance system, and workers compensation.  

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

Tags: , ,

Related news

Expert Q&A: RST’s Sharon Zou on tourism and COVID-19

May 10, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The College of Applied Health Sciences has experts in many areas that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Periodically we will ask these experts about how their areas of expertise have been impacted and what we can expect in a post-COVID-19 world. Today, we ask Suiwen (Sharon) Zou, an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, about the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry.

Q: Which parts of the tourism industry are feeling the most pain now, and which will be the ones that are slowest to come back online when social distancing guidelines are eased or lifted?

A: The airlines and cruise industry are likely the worst affected by COVID-19. I would expect airlines, especially the international routes, and the cruise industry to be the ones that are slowest to come back. Once social distancing guidelines are lifted, people will be eager to travel but with caution. I expect most of these trips will be local or regional, and travelers will be more likely to travel by car. For the cruise industry, cruise companies will need to make heavy investments and substantial efforts to save their reputations affected by several outbreaks onboard. It will take a while before travelers feel comfortable traveling on the seas with several thousand people in one ship.

Q: How can cities and states that depend on tourism for large parts of their revenue adjust, if social distancing guidelines remain in place through 2022, as reported?

A: I hope we will not get to the point where social distancing lasts into 2022. However, if that’s the case, people’s lives will become very digital. Cities and states should consider offering various forms of virtual tour. Although virtual tour won’t bring in revenues, it can be a viable way to keep in touch with potential visitors and maintain travel interest and confidence. This type of virtual tourism can help keep the destination brands afloat. Also, the idea of virtual tourism is to bring the destination to travelers when they cannot come. To capitalize on virtual tourism, destinations can develop some virtual vacation experience featuring local products (e.g., local artifacts, agriculture products) as a way to promote the local economy.

Q: What measures can tourism sites, such as the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls, take that allow them to re-open in a modified fashion but still assure the public?

A: Reopening tourism sites should be a slow process, and only areas/activities (e.g., hiking, fishing) in which tourists can easily follow social distancing guidelines should be open first. Activities or operations that encourage public congregation and interaction, such as shuttle bus and indoor interpretive programs, should remain closed until it is completely safe to reopen. Work closely with health officials and local/state level governments and strictly follow guidelines provided by health authorities such as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Staff training is critical to the success of the implementation of these measures. Clear and effective communication and information transparency are the key to assure the public and restore travel confidence. All the measures taken to ensure a safe travel experience should be documented and communicated with the public. Leverage local and state destination management/marketing organizations’ communication platforms (e.g., websites, social media sites) as they are seen as a trusted source of information by travelers.

Q: How does COVID-19 compare to other recent events such as SARS and 9/11 in terms of economic impact upon the tourism industry?

A: The economic impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry will be more significant than the 9/11 tragedy and the 2003 SARS outbreak, mostly because the magnitude and the scale of COVID-19 are unprecedented. During the 2003 SARS outbreak, the tourism industry was hit hard in affected regions (mainly in Asia). The current pandemic, however, has been crushing the global tourism industry, as various parts of the world are closing borders, and most states in the U.S. have placed a stay-at-home order. Moreover, unlike SARS and 9/11 whose economic impacts were relatively short term, COVID-19 is expected to last until late summer or even longer, which means that the disruption will last for at least two quarters. The economic impacts on the tourism industry will be longer and greater.

Q: Do you agree with national parks allowing visitors without fees, and how does that impact their resources going forward?

A: I agree with national parks allowing visitors without fees for a short period after travel is resumed. Entrance fees usually have more impacts on local residents and frequent visitors from nearby areas. As I mentioned, trips after COVID-19 will be mostly local and regional, and thus free entrance for, say three to six months, will encourage local residents and nearby visitors to come and visit the park. Free entrance for a short period will have a minor impact on national parks’ resources, but the visitors it brings to the gateway communities will likely help the local businesses such as restaurants and retailers.

Q: What would you advise a tourism company, such as a travel agency, to do at this time in order to survive?

A: I would advise tourism businesses, particularly small local businesses, to seek support from the local or state authorities such as interest-free short-term loans, and keep an eye on the financial support from the federal government. At the same time, find ways to cut back on unnecessary operational expenses while employees are working from home—suspend recurring office supplies, negotiate the lease with the landlord, freeze utilities, and adjust rental insurance. As for marketing, adjust marketing strategies to adapt to consumers’ new normal such as cutting offline advertising, utilizing social media, and targeting the local tourist market. Marketing messages should be redesigned to focus on maintaining travelers’ confidence and interest to visit once the crisis is over.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu. 

Related news

Alumni Spotlight: Anne Murphy

May 02, 2020 | Ethan Simmons

Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Anne Murphy, who got her bachelor of science in 1996 and her master’s degree in 2002 in what was then known as Leisure Studies and is now known as RST. She is now senior director of development at the College of Engineering at Oregon State University.

Q: Why did you pick AHS?

A: I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and had the opportunity to visit the Illinois campus several times during K-8. To be honest, I grew up with the impression that all universities were just like Illinois! The Georgian architecture, the Quad, the academic rigor—all of that. I spent my first three years of college as a student-athlete at another university and when I decided to transfer, the first and only place I looked was UIUC. I followed the advice of advisors in AHS and applied my existing credits toward a degree in Leisure Studies (now RST).

Q. Which professors had the most impact on you?

A: Dr. (Kimberly) Shinew was one of my first professors at UIUC. She impressed me as an intellectual and human. Her leadership in the Department and academic field was clear. Dr. (Lynn) Barnett-Morris also had a positive impact. I took a course in programming for people with disabilities—I don’t remember my professor’s name but I can see her face—and I learned a lot about working with people with different backgrounds and abilities. That has served me well. An especially meaningful assignment was to spend a day using a wheelchair. I felt invisible for the first time in my life. Knowing what that’s like has helped me be more inclusive in my approach to working with people. Dr. (Bruce) Wicks arranged an amazing “field trip” to the Kentucky Derby and I met the leadership team who planned this amazing event. That made an impression on my leadership skills. Importantly, throughout my time in the Department I knew that my professors and the administrators expected all of us to go out into the world and lead. Learning and growing while surrounded by people who had high expectations of me helped me become an asset in my industry and community.

Q: What course did you most enjoy?

A: I don’t remember taking a course I didn’t enjoy. My graduate work was especially interesting. Statistics was super-challenging but I am so glad I took it. My professor granted me a good grade, mostly for being “most improved” I think. ?

Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?

A: I would be a leader in the non-profit sector, but that was as far as I’d gotten. The internship I had while in RST helped me discover my talents and passion for higher education advancement. Mentors and champions along the way inspired me to seek bigger and bigger opportunities in my educational and career path.

Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job? Career? Community?

A: Yes. What I learned about how people self-identify through what they do in their unpaid time has been a critical component to my successful leadership in higher education fundraising. I’m working with people who are striving to self-actualize through giving and volunteering. I learned how important it is to understand why people do what they do for play, for leisure, and for recreation rather than what they do for work/career. This has been a huge advantage in my work with donors and their families. My coursework in research design, mega-events, programming for people with disabilities, and marketing have contributed to my career as well. When I was at Illinois, I had the impression that it was expected of me and my classmates that we would go out into the world and lead. I took that to heart. When I arrived in Champaign-Urbana, I didn’t feel particularly remarkable. When I departed, I knew that my future was bright and I’d go on to make a difference in the world.

I did my thesis with Dr. Wicks on philanthropy and public parks. It was about why people would want to contribute to a cause that’s ostensibly funded through taxes, and parks at that. I haven’t thought of my thesis in years. In February I was approached to chair a committee to raise funds for a major park renewal in my community and I said yes right away. I couldn’t quite figure out why it resonated with me, and then I remembered my thesis. It comes full circle.

Q: What is your current job?

A: I lead a unit of fundraisers who attract $25 million a year in philanthropic support for students, faculty, facilities, and programs. Serving on the leadership team of the College of Engineering and the OSU Foundation, I contribute to the strategic plans for both organizations. I love my job. It’s rare that someone in my industry begins their career in development—usually they fall into it down the road. I was fortunate to have an internship at Illinois that set me on this path!

Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?

There was a particularly unique highlight from my experience in ALS that I’ll share. Due to a terminal illness in my family I was not planning to attend convocation. But my boss in the development office and the Dean of the College, Mike Ellis, decided that they would make it possible for me to have a ceremony nonetheless. They called my dad, brother, best friend, and boyfriend and invited them to campus. When Huff Hall was fully set up for the AHS graduation ceremony, they invited me into the gym, cued the graduation music, helped me get into full regalia (which they were also wearing!!), and proceeded to have a graduation ceremony just for me. The valedictorian practiced her speech, Mike made remarks, and he gave me a diploma. Afterward we had a little party in the Dean’s office. How amazing is that?

Q: What does AHS mean to you?

This is a thought-provoking question. I feel like I’m still learning what it meant to me. Even as I’ve been answering these questions, it’s becoming clear that the experiences in RST had an even bigger impact on my life than I’d estimated.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

Tags: , ,

Related news

Expert Q&A: RST’s Kim Shinew on trails and COVID-19

April 27, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The College of Applied Health Sciences has experts in many areas that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Periodically we will ask these experts about how their areas of expertise have been impacted and what we can expect in a post-COVID-19 world. Today, we ask Kimberly Shinew, a professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, about her research about exercising on trails during the current COVID-19 crisis.

Photo by caption

Q: Are you finding that people are obeying social distancing guidelines on trails?

A: It has been mixed. Although the analysis has not been run, my estimation would be about 50 percent make an effort to social distance. I am doing observations at a trail in Champaign. My colleagues are doing observations at trails in Colorado, Texas, Florida, Minnesota and California. When people meet along the trail, typically no effort is made to move off the trail to allow for the recommended six feet. That said, it is also common to see one party move so as to avoid getting too close to the other party.

Something many of us have noticed is that it is difficult for people to maintain social distancing while on the trail. For example, most people arrive at the trails with others, and it is clear that those groups are not trying to maintain social distancing (e.g., with family members). However, other times you will see people meet up at the trail, and may even comment about making sure they maintain social distancing. However, after a lap or two, the distance narrows and they walk as we normally would around the trail.

Q: What steps should organizations take to ensure that people obey the guidelines?

A: Many agencies, including the Champaign Park District, have encouraged safe use of the trails and parks. There are now signs along the trail that read:

  • Remember Stay Home if Sick
  • Maintain Six Feet Between Yourself and Others
  • Wear Face Masks in Public (as Recommended by CDC) 

Some of the other sites across the country have gone to one-way routes. Although this can be helpful, it causes people passing others and this also creates distancing problems.

The National Recreation and Park Association have offered guidelines for trail users on observing physical distancing minimums. For example, some of their recommendations include:

  • Follow CDC’s guidance on personal hygiene prior to heading to trails—wash hands, carry hand sanitizer, do not use trails if you have symptoms, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, etc.
  • Observe at all times the CDC’s minimum recommended physical distancing of six feet from other people. Practice it and know what it looks like. Keep it as you walk, bike or hike.
  • Warn other trail users of your presence and as you pass to allow proper distance and step off trails to allow others to pass, keeping minimum recommended distances at all times.
  • Signal your presence with your voice, bell or horn.

Additionally, I have noticed an increase in people wearing masks on the trail. This increase coincided with the CDC recommendation. In the beginning of the data collection process, I rarely saw people with masks on the trail. Now, it would be rare for me NOT see people with masks. It is certainly not the majority of people, but there are always a couple of people.

Q: Do you believe COVID-19 will force trails to be redrawn or reimagined to allow for future social distancing guidelines?

A: Honestly, I doubt it. In many cases this would be cost prohibitive. However, I do think that for many of us, our desire to maintain social distancing while in public will continue for quite some time. How long depends, in part, on factors such as availability of testing, effectiveness of contact tracing, quarantine procedures, and possible treatments.

Q: Do you believe this outbreak has forced people to think differently about the importance of trails?

A: Yes, evidence indicates the outbreak has had an impact on attitudes about trails. Several sources have indicated a surge of public use of trails and open outdoor areas of parks over the last month. Many park and recreation agencies have closed facilities, canceled programs, removed nets from tennis courts and basketball courts, and closed playgrounds. However, many agencies have not closed parks and trails. With so many other physical activities being eliminated, people are walking, biking, and jogging so trails are getting more use.

I also think people are appreciating being outdoors. Many of us are spending much more time in our homes due to sheltering-in-place orders. Having an opportunity to get outside (and out of the house) seems to be a welcome distraction right now. Additionally, the weather is improving and that is increasing people’s motivations to be outdoors.

Q: What’s the goal of your observational study, and what is the next step?

A: We started this study quite early, at the beginning stages of the pandemic. We have been collecting data for several weeks and have already noticed quite a few changes (masks and additional signage) just since the start of the project. For example, when I first began my observations the playgrounds were still open. Our plan is to continue to collect data to see what other trends we might observe. With many park and recreation agencies indicating that swimming pools and other facilities and programs will be closed (or will have a delayed opening date) this summer, we anticipate that trails may continue to get increased use in the coming months. Also, once we are feel it is safe, we would like to conduct interviews with the trail users to gain insights into their experiences on the trail.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

Tags: , ,

Related news

Expert Q&A: COVID-19’s impact on Green Space

April 20, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The College of Applied Health Sciences has experts in many areas that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Periodically we will ask these experts about how their areas of expertise have been impacted and what we can expect in a post-COVID-19 world. Today, we ask RST professor Bill Stewart about parks and green space.

Parks were shut down earlier in the lockdown phase of COVID-19. (Stock image)

Q: What is the biggest impact of shutting down parks during this outbreak?

A: For many, our mental and physical health has taken a hit. Parks are places that encourage us to exercise, engage with others, and feel relaxed in a natural setting. I think Weight Watchers and therapists will have lots of new clients when we come out of this!

Q: Could this affect green space funding, whether local, state or federal, going forward?

A: The consequences of COVID-19 will likely effect the distribution of green space more than the amount of funding for green space.  There are many under-served populations where green space is scarce, particularly in urban areas.  We are likely to emerge from this crisis with a heightened sensitivity to questions of environmental justice related to park and green space for residents of marginalized communities.

Q: Does COVID-19 affect how future green space models are laid out, in terms of allowing for social distancing?

A: A key factor is related to density of visitors at the park. Current models for urban parks focus on distance and walkability to parks from home, they do not account for density of use on pathways once in the park. There will be renewed interests from park and green space agencies to work closely with local health departments to produce guidelines for operations and designs.

Q: Does COVID-19 actually increase the appeal and need for green space because of limited exercise options?

A: Yes, post-COVID America will likely value our green spaces more than ever.  Along with needing places to exercise, our sheltering-in-place practices have left us missing opportunities to be outdoors in nature, as well as seeing others as part of a community of people larger than ourselves. 

Q: Should parks be open, or is there a danger because of community spread?

A: There are dangers to opening up parks too soon, particularly playgrounds and activity centers that bring people together. Park venues that host community events, festivals, sport competitions, and concerts should be some of the last places to be opening in a post-COVID roll-out. With elderly populations being so vulnerable, recreational programs and facilities that cater to seniors will need to be especially cautious about re-opening. Infectious disease outbreaks should be treated like a natural hazard in terms of the risk posed to human lives.

Q: Waiving fees in parks has increased visitation. Is there a lesson to be learned there?

A: Most municipal and county parks do not have entrance fees and are freely open to the public.  However the policy of the National Park Service is being handled on a park-by-park basis working with the CDC for advice. For example, Indiana Dunes National Park, which is within an hour drive of Chicago’s loop, has closed all its buildings, restrooms and some park areas, however its 50 miles of hiking trails are open and provide safe space for exercise while social distancing—and are free.

Q: Some parks that have stayed open have cut services, to their detriment. Will that increase employment for parks going forward?
 
A: The short term will leave parks with a decrease in staff with severe cutbacks to hiring seasonal help—largely teens and young adults from nearby communities will be left without summer jobs. These seasonal positions are excellent opportunities to learn leadership skills, professional development, and at the same time provide needed services for community residents during summer months. In the long term, employment will increase due to an invigorated public consciousness about an enhanced need for green space and its newly appreciated connections to human mental, physical, social, and spiritual health.

Q: Will park staff now be educated in pandemic response, and do you think they should have been already trained? 

A: Most park staff already have training in various kinds of emergency response situations, however the COVID crisis will likely deepen the commitment for such training, improve the consistency of training across all personnel, and lead to reviewing health and emergency response protocol. In addition, working relationships between local health departments and park agencies will become more common and likely affect daily routines and programming.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

Tags: ,

Related news

Alumni Spotlight—Alex Dam

May 20, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Alex Dam, who got his degree in 2017 in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism with a focus on Sport and a Minor in Communications and who is now a Associate Manager Content Strategy at NBC Sports.

Q: Why did you pick AHS?

A: I picked AHS due to my interest in the RST program. Recreation, Sport, and Tourism is one of the largest growing industries in the world today and I just knew I wanted to be a part of it. I had a concentration on Sport and really enjoyed both learning and experiencing how much sport brought people together and helped improve quality of life. Sport brought me closer to my loved ones and has helped me create lifelong friendships and when I figured out, I could study this field, I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity.

Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?

A: Although no longer with the University of Illinois, both Dr. Nuno Ribeiro and LoriKay Paden left a great impact on me during my time at Illinois. Both would walk into class with all the energy in the world, whether it was a 9 a.m. RST 330 (Programming) course or a post-lunch 2 p.m. RST 410 (Administration of Leisure Services) course. Both helped me develop academically in the classroom and professionally outside of it. I have maintained contact with both and have enjoyed seeing them on their journeys as well as sharing mine.

Q: What course did you most enjoy?

A: The course I enjoyed the most was RST 484! A combination of real work experience and finally seeing all your course work pay off was very special. The culmination of my four years at Illinois combined with the start of my professional career made this course truly special. During my internship, I was able to meet and develop friendships with other RST in my program that I did not have the chance to meet on campus and this helped expand my AHS network.

Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?

A: I did not enter AHS knowing my career path. This was scary to admit and one that I think many students also worry about. AHS helped me decide my career path by developing a curriculum that exposes their students to professional settings. The practicum/internship allowed me to determine what I did/did not want in a career and that is very important. It helped me mold my ideal career without me knowing it at the time.

Q:Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?

A: My AHS experience did lead me to my current job. The internship I pursued during my final semester at Illinois allowed me to secure my first full-time job at ESPN (Format Analyst), which in turn led me to my current role at NBC Sports (Associate Manager Content Strategy).

Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience

A: My favorite on-campus experience is developing lifelong friendships with fellow students and eating at all the awesome restaurants on campus. I love food, so being within walking distance of Green Street was awesome! Those relationships continue today, and I am glad to see where everyone has come since all our RST classes together. It makes me proud to see that we all were able to do something we love and make a career out of it!

Q: What would you say to recommend AHS to a prospective student?

A: I would say take the leap of faith. I too was looking at more prominent majors before I decided to pursue something I loved. You need to understand the industry you are going to takes a lot of relationship-building, persistence, and being able to take rejection/feedback positively. However, AHS will prepare you for all these things and definitely do not hesitate to reach out to peers and alumni like myself. We are all here to help! RST is also a multibillion-dollar industry and is growing every single day. Especially at times like this when we are told to stay indoors without sports, we realize how much we miss going out to our state parks, visiting other countries, and cheering on our favorite teams.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

Tags: , ,

Related news

Podcast: A Few Minutes With … Clarion Mendes and Amanda Lawrence on non-essential care during COVID-19

April 10, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

The Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Clinic (Photo provided)

Vince Lara of the communications office of the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois speaks with Clarion Mendes, clinical assistant professor and director of Clinical Education in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science, and Amanda Lawrence, clinical assistant professor in SHS, about the impact of COVID-19 on so-called non-essential health issues such as speech-language pathology and audiology and how those patients are treated.

Listen to the podcast
Transcript

VINCE LARA: Hi. And welcome to another edition of A Few Minutes With, the podcast that showcases Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences. I’m Vince Lara. And today I’m speaking with Clarion Mendes and Amanda Lawrence from the speech and hearing science department to talk about how the SHS clinics are impacted by the coronavirus crisis. I know Speech and Hearing Science operates the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic and the audiology clinics. And are those still open?

CLARION MENDES: So that’s a great question. The physical location of the clinic is currently closed for the safety of our clients, our patients, our families, and our students and staff. So we’re following CDC recommendations as far as that’s concerned. However, like most of the rest of the world, we are diving deep into the world of telepractice, tele-interaction. So from the speech-language pathology standpoint, we have started to introduce telepractice for our patients and clients, and their families.

For audiology, it’s a little bit more complicated because of the types of equipment that are often used for audiological assessment and intervention. So what we’re doing currently for audiology patients is working with them to make sure that their hearing aids are up and running appropriately and making sure that their equipment is running smoothly. So repairs are still up and running for audiology.

VINCE LARA: How do you get hearing aids repaired without having that kind of face-to-face interaction?

AMANDA LAWRENCE: So there’s a couple things. So if a hearing aid’s malfunctioning, everything from– sometimes we can talk them through it. Because there’s a handful of things you just do to start, like, say, diagnosing what the issue is. And sometimes that fixes the issue. So that can be everything from just talking them through appropriate cleaning, just making sure there’s not wax that’s the problem or a microphone that’s blocked to that extent.

So once we’ve worked through that, if need be– current pandemic– one of the things that we can do is, if a patient were to– most of what I need to know in trying to assess or diagnosis is what their problems or the difficulties are, what’s happening with the actual instrument.

They could bring it in without– either drop it– I mean, set it on a bench or a t– outside the clinic. I would be there at the same time, pick it up, go in the clinic, diagnose it. I mean, figure out what’s happening– does it need to be sent in? Is it something I can replace or fix in the clinic?

Once I verify that it’s functioning properly, I can clean it back off and disinfect it, and set it back somewhere for the patient to come back and pick up. I mean, it would be sitting there in the meantime, so not just sitting out for somebody to just come by and pick it up. So that can be done.

And most the time, the same thing can even happen even if they need– if it’s a sound– like if I need programming adjustments, those kind of things. Usually, most, vast majority, 90% or better, I can do without the patient sitting there at all.

The only issue I would have is sometimes the problem is actually wax in the patient’s ear. And I cannot do anything about that without seeing or touching the patient, though medical offices are open. So primary care or somebody could do that. But most things I can assess or take care of just by their feedback. It works.

VINCE LARA: You raise a good point, though. What are some of the complications for getting care for what people might deem as non-essential care during this time? And I think you know you bring up one of them. If a patient has an ear wax issue that’s going to affect their hearing aid, I don’t know, is that considered essential care? Is that something they could go to get care for?

AMANDA LAWRENCE: I don’t know how they’re doing it. Do we know how the system is set up here? So this I can tell you, just because I’ve had a friend who’s had to go in Florida, who’s in the same kind of stay-at-home.

So what they were doing was, well patients, not, say, for a primary care, they were doing those all in the morning. And if anyone– ill or sick, then they were separating them out and seeing them in the afternoon so that they disinfect in between. So I can tell you there. I haven’t tried to go to the doctor here, so I don’t know what that means here.

I don’t know if Christi and Carl are not seeing any well patients at all, if a patient or somebody called and said, I cannot hear at all, and this is the reason, like if somebody said they could not hear, if it would actually be considered a medical emergency. And if it ended up just being earwax, that would be a great day for their PCP. I mean, because that’s something they can actually fix.

VINCE LARA: And Clarion, for someone with a speech-language issue, how would that be handled? And is that considered essential care or not?

CLARION MENDES: That’s a great question. So it’s going to depend quite a bit on the particular type of diagnosis that we’re dealing with. So for instance, one of the specialties of speech-language pathologists is dysphagia, or difficulty eating and swallowing. And dysphagia is often frequently coupled with respiratory issues.

So for speech-language pathologists that are working in a acute care setting or an ICU, they’re going to be pretty busy right now. And those services are kept up and considered essential. And of course, it’s going to vary on a case-by-case basis from medical facility to medical facility. Something that we’ve been seeing a lot right now is, for individuals that have acquired neurogenic language or cognitive issues, having SLPs who can communicate with individuals to explain what COVID is and what their limitations are currently. That’s something that has also been popping up in their speech-language pathology community quite a bit.

VINCE LARA: Clarion, I’m directing this toward you only because I know you’ve worked with geriatric populations a lot. And in fact, I think you’ve said in the past it’s your favorite population to work with. Since they’re most at risk at this time, what extra steps, if any, would you have to take to ensure their health?

CLARION MENDES: So that is incredibly difficult right now, both from the that they’re staying healthy, because they are at the highest level of risk of contracting the virus, but the other challenge is– I don’t mean to stereotype, but they’re not digital natives. And so currently, the way that the world is going with managing all aspects of health care in this current state is to do everything as digitally as possible. And so because they’re not digital natives, this has been very, very problematic.

I can speak for– I think I speak about my grandmother a lot when I’m interviewed by you, Vince. She’s currently 89 at home. And she’s talking with my parents on the phone, but she’s excluded from the family Zoom meetings and all that kind of thing. So I wish I had a great answer for you, but currently I don’t.

VINCE LARA: And Amanda would you– how about from an audiology side of things?

AMANDA LAWRENCE: It’s the same. That’s [INAUDIBLE]. It’s how tech savvy they are or have interest in being. So some, it’s just frightening all the way around. And there is no interest, little interest, more just out of the anxiety of it or misunderstanding of it. And then some are interested, if you can help them work through it and how well you can do that via telepractice, or just some really does depend on auditory skills. I mean, there is something about telepractice that does depend on the institution.

And the other issue with hearing aids and the older population is, when we have declining visual acuity, hearing aids are very small. Everything about them is very small. So sometimes that alone is one of the things that they need more support with or something they miss clinic when the clinic is an open, because I’m asking them to look for something or wax in an area that’s about the size of the head of a pin. And if your visual acuity is not there– it’s not because they’re not trying. It’s because they can’t see it, so the same issues.

But we have a lot of– I mean, the older population around here a in Champaign-Urbana is definitely a little bit of a sliver or a slice of just a very unique group in that many tend to be retired professors. And so they sometimes have an interest, or at least more inclination, into things that are different, and a lot of times, I would say above average willingness to try. Something that’s a little bit different, particularly in my hearing aid population, which can certainly be helpful. But that doesn’t change their visual acuity or the dexterity issues that can come with managing hearing aids.

VINCE LARA: We’ve touched on telehealth a little bit. But I’m wondering, in general, how has the buy-in been from patients with calling them about issues?

CLARION MENDES: So I’ll get started with that. This is Clarion. I have jumped in, maybe cart before the horse, with telepractice with many of my voice clients. And I was tentative. I was nervous.

But surprisingly, the buy-in has been pretty good. And I think the reason is, one, I have found overall everybody is in this mood of, we’re all in this together. We’re collaborating together. We’re all figuring out those unknown territories together. And so people have been extraordinarily gracious and understanding that this is something we’re all working through.

And I’ll say, as far as my client population, a lot of folks are stuck at home. And so people are just happy to have a piece of normalcy, even if it’s delivered in an alternate model. And so, so far it’s been it’s been very positive.

And we’re starting to work with this with children as well. And there’s some great evidence that suggests that telepractice works very nicely with kids. And to be honest, I think parents are grateful to have somebody else be educating their children and supporting their communication needs right now during this complicated time.

VINCE LARA: That’s well put. How about you, Amanda? Are you finding the same thing?

AMANDA LAWRENCE: Yeah. So in audiology and telepractice, you are more limited to being able to give some type of verbal instruction with a device. Otherwise, a lot of what we do is diagnostics, which, it does not lend. Because we have so much equipment. It does not lend to telepractice as well. But making the contact, or to know that somebody can be there via– even if that is just phone, but if it needs to be talked through, that kind of thing, that there is an availability there. But in general, large swaths of what we do, if it’s diagnostic in nature, the equipment just isn’t available to be supported through telehealth practices, telepractice.

VINCE LARA: And I think that works well with what my final question is, is that, what are students doing to replace internships, replacing what have to be in-person internships? Clarion, do you want to start with that?

CLARION MENDES: That’s a very interesting question. So I have been e-mailing and calling my certifying body, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, the Council on Academic Accreditation, the Illinois Department of Federal and Professional Regulation, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and many other entities. Because currently, students are not allowed to participate in telepractice and count it for their certification in the state of Illinois for speech-language pathology and audiology.

As of this recording, every other state permits it for speech-language pathologists. But Illinois is an isolate. So we have been working pretty around the clock to try to get our Practice Act updated so that students can participate in this important aspect of care that I imagine is going to be just becoming more and more common in our current state of affairs.

So that’s something we’ve been working towards. And we check the updates daily, sometimes hourly, for changes in telehealth rules, regulations, and certification. So this has been keeping me up day and night. I have not gotten much sleep recently, to tell you the truth.

CLARION MENDES: I am overjoyed to share this update with you since you interviewed Dr. Lawrence and me on Friday, April 3, 2020. The Illinois Practice Act for Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology has been revised. Effective today, April 6, 2020, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, is allowing, through 7/31/2020, students of speech-language pathology and audiology, to provide their services via telepractice, provided that, per best practice, there is a licensed and certified clinician overseeing all services in real time. This variance is congruent with current best practice for speech-language pathology and audiology, and allows our students to successfully continue a high quality, clinical education while meeting the communication needs of our community during a pivotal time in health care. We are excited to step up and offer this medium of service delivery to our current and future clients. This opportunity, for our energized and dedicated students to offer services with the supervision of experts, allows us to maintain and enhance our standing as a highly-ranked program in audiology and speech-language pathology.

VINCE LARA: Well, I appreciate you both being on today to talk about these really important issues. And I hope that we can see a return to campus and to normalcy very soon. My thanks to Clarion and Amanda.

For more podcasts on Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences, search A Few Minutes With on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, radio.com, and other places you get your podcast fix. Thanks for listening, and see you next time.

Related news

A Few Minutes With … adjusting to online instruction during COVID-19

April 14, 2020 | Vince Lara

Handling the transition to online instruction

Vince Lara of the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois speaks with Keiko Ishikawa of the Speech and Hearing Science Department and Neha Gothe of the department of Kinesiology and Community Health about the transition to online instruction at Illinois.

Watch the interview
Transcript

VINCE LARA: Hi, and welcome to another edition of “A Few Minutes With,” the podcast that showcases Illinois’ College of Applied Health Sciences. I’m Vince Lara, and today I’m speaking with Keiko Ishikawa of Speech and Hearing Science and Neha Gothe of Kinesiology and Community Health about the transition to online instruction during the coronavirus crisis.

So just a simple question, where are you setting up in your house as you transition into this world of online instruction?

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: Well, I actually set up a home office at my house. I didn’t have a really official space from home before. But we actually created a room for me to work in next eight weeks.

VINCE LARA: That’s great. How about you, Neha?

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, I think a similar situation for me as well. We have an office space in our house. And so I have a standing desk. I was able to connect with the AHS IT team and get all the more access softwares that I need on my laptop so I am able to access– and also remotely access my office computer if I need some documents or some softwares.

VINCE LARA: Have either of you had online instruction prior to this, whether it’s with Illinois or any other university?

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: I will start. So yes, I actually tried to make a hybrid course last semester for AHS 300, which is the undergraduate level anatomy and physiology course. So in that class– in half of the class, which is almost all the lectures, were done online. And then class met for laboratory activities. So I was not new to this type of online instruction. But full online instruction is a first for me.

VINCE LARA: How about you, Neha?

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, this is completely new for me. I have never taught online classes before in any small or big capacity. So this was a first transition for me to use an online software, such as Zoom which has worked really well for us thus far, and connecting with students. And also trying to then adjust your syllabus coursework, grading rubric accordingly so things move on to a smoother transition.

I think in this situation what certainly did help was I was able to see and connect with my students for the first half of our semester. And so the students know me. I can put a name and a face together when I’m on Zoom with more than 100 students in one of my classes. And so it does certainly help to have had that in-person interaction prior to just switching to online.

VINCE LARA: Yeah, I’ve heard that anecdotally as well that that helped having that first part of the semester interaction. Do either of you think that this kind of experience would make it more likely that you’d be involved in online instruction in the future? Why don’t you start, Neha.

NEHA GOTHE: For me, certainly. I think I have already been thinking and brainstorming about ideas in which I could either transition my course to an online course or perhaps think of a hybrid format. So perhaps meeting in person for once a week and then doing some other activities for the course remotely. And I think to some extent it does work to my advantage being in the field of kinesiology and community health.

All our coursework is very applied, at least the coursework that I teach in the context of health and behavior, health promotion, exercise and health, psychology. These are all the things that are very practically, very applicable to students. A lot of my assignments involve students to try something with their family or friends. And so I can really see this connection where I could do certainly the theory and instruction in person once a week and perhaps connect with my students remotely in a hybrid format.

VINCE LARA: And Keiko, what do you think?

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: Yes, it really, in a good way, forced me to be creative and think what else I can do for the class that I haven’t been preparing for online courses. And like Neha said, my classes typically are also very applied, so there’s some concrete knowledge that our students need to develop. And then those things are easily communicated via online courses or prerecorded lectures. So it’s really reasonable to do a hybrid format.

VINCE LARA: There are advantages to working from home, no commute, no dressing up. But are you– let’s start with you, Keiko. Are you enjoying working from home?

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: Yes and no, I would say.

VINCE LARA: Yes.

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: Yes because no commute. And it’s nice to have two minutes to my lunch break.

However, there are challenges. And also I’m missing my colleagues. It’s not the same. I’m all by myself in the house. So that is a disadvantage, I think.

VINCE LARA: And Neha, what do you think?

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, I think even for me, I think the biggest change was not seeing any of my colleagues and students. So I think I had to get adjusted to that or trying to see them through Zoom meetings and online meetings that we set up. But in terms of working from home itself, I feel like sometimes it has been a struggle to draw boundaries just because you are at home.

You wake up. You get on with your work. And you’re just working all day. And so I feel like when I used to come into work at the university, I had kind of fixed hours. And I know that once I left my office, it was time to do other things. But that boundary has been shifted a little bit.

It’s a little more loose when I’m working from home. So there has definitely been some adjustments that I have made, and a schedule that I have created. And just some logistical edits that I have made my calendar, so that way, I can stay on task and still have kind of a work hour routine through the week.

VINCE LARA: Keiko, you mentioned technological challenges. Talk about some of those. Is it Zoom itself? Is it something else that’s been a challenge particularly?

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: OK, technological challenges. Well, I’m not sure at this point technological challenge-wise. So I haven’t tried the Zoom instruction– synchronous instruction this week.

VINCE LARA: OK.

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: That was just because we were not sure about the bandwidth, whether that was standard for all the classes to meet. So we’ll figure it out. We’ll test it out and see how that goes little by little. So I guess unknowns, what is that technology capable of and how much is what it can take is a challenge at this point.

VINCE LARA: Neha, what about you?

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, I think since we’ve been transitioning to working from home and also having lectures online, I think without an IT department, you are really your own person to solve your tech problems. And so I think some of the most common issues I’ve had this first week after spring break is usually to do with low internet or poor internet connections, either on my end or on the other person’s end– either the student or a colleague.

Occasionally, some low quality video calls similar to the bandwidth situation that Keiko mentioned, and maybe sometimes some softwares or program which I wish I had access to and which are loaded on my work computer. But I don’t necessarily have an easy connection unless I do a remote access and jump through a few other hoops.

VINCE LARA: Right. Keiko, you mentioned you haven’t had synchronous classes yet, but I’m just wondering, maybe you can answer this anyway. What’s student participation been like?

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: So what I have done is– so I have asynchronous part, which I prerecord lectures, as I told you earlier. And so they’re supposed to watch this and work on the assignments. So it is, in a way, the classroom arrangement.So I have office hours that I established. And they are supposed to– I mean, they’re not supposed to, they are welcome to join me anytime, ask questions. This week in particular, I think they’re still adjusting. So only a few students have participated in the office hours. I’m hoping to see more faces virtually.

VINCE LARA: And how about you, Neha?

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, the same for me. We’ve tried both with asynchronous and then, like Keiko does, recording my lectures and then posting a video. I’m really learning a lot about all of the features you can have, even built in Microsoft PowerPoint, when you can do your narration. And then you can also have your audio and screen slideshow recorded.So that as well as complementing it with the Zoom and being able to record your video in Zoom and screenshares. I think those two have been my go-to this first week, and both of them have worked really well for us. Also, one of the classes I teach is a lecture and discussion class. So it’s KINES 201, that’s Physical Activity Research Methods.

It’s a large class. It’s over 100 students. And I lecture for the class twice a week. And the students break out into smaller discussion groups with their teaching assistants for more in-depth knowledge and practice. And so those lab sections, my teaching assistants have been absolutely enjoying the synchronous through Zoom. I think they enjoy seeing the students.

Because it’s a small group, there is more of the possibility of having some more conversations and Q&As. And my TAs tell me that they absolutely love it. So I think there are definitely pros to both, and both have worked really well for me thus far.

VINCE LARA: Yeah, it’s interesting that you mentioned that because I was going to ask next about lab work or similar in-person instruction. And have either of you thought about or even started working on workarounds to lab work? Or even now that we can’t do in-person data collection any longer or in-person instruction, how do you work around those limitations? Keiko, you can answer first.

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: Yeah, I can start. So we actually were very timely in this matter that the US publishing online service study, which was just approved by IRB. So we were just in time to do this, and we are launching actually a survey risk of vocal injury in university faculty. And we included some of the questions regarding how this transition to online teaching have affected your voice use and whether you are feeling like your voice is getting tired more and what not. So that’s one of– actually just coincidentally is something that worked for us.

But at the same time, we are also looking into doing some experiments online. For example, we do speech perception studies, which listeners listen to some stimuli and then give us responses. So we are working very quickly to transition to online format for this kind of experiment.

VINCE LARA: Neha?

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, so for us, it was a little bit different. We were amidst one of our research studies where it was a site-based exercise trial. So we invited participants to come to campus and exercise with us for a period of 12 weeks. And we were right smack in the middle. We were at week 6.

And so now, with no face-to-face in-person interaction, we have had to transition our exercise sessions remote or online. And then it’s been working well so far. We were a little bit hesitant since our population is older adults. And so we weren’t sure about how technology would be embraced by them.

But we’ve had Zoom meetings, again, synchronous Zoom exercise classes with our participants. And things have worked out really well so far. This has been the first week. But thus far, we’ve had less technical issues than I had anticipated.

For our study measurements, we have been trying to explore other opportunities and services, either through the university IT department or some other commercially available softwares. Qualtrics is a great resource that is available through the university. So for any questionnaire data that researchers might want to collect, Qualtrics would be a great place to launch your surveys online. And I’m connecting with some other colleagues in professional organizations to get some sense of how some of those other unique measurements could be collected online, which are not necessarily as simple as questionnaires.

VINCE LARA: I’m wondering what you both think of take-home exams. Why don’t you start, Keiko.

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: OK. Yes, exam is- how to administer exam online is something that I have to think about and I’m still making my plans for the final exam. Obviously, you cannot do a simple multiple choice questions–

VINCE LARA: Right.

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: –as you may do in the classrooms. So we need to alter the format of the questions and the type of questions you ask. So that is a challenge for sure. It will be much more time intensive on the side of graders. So yes, I’m finding that is a challenge.

VINCE LARA: And how about you, Neha?

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, so I’ve been trying to go back and look through my rubric and grading rubrics. Thankfully, a variety of my assignments were online for students to do because they were take-home assignments. They had to try different kinds of exercise routines, and do a self-reflection about it. Or they were experiential activities. So those are largely unaffected by this transition.

But the exams, for sure, I’m connecting with my teaching assistants. And we are trying to make some judgment about what did we want students to know and learn for the course, and is there a way to evaluate that learning without having to do an exam necessarily. So we are also exploring other opportunities for grading, maybe adding in an assignment or two, or doing an in-person Q&A, or using some based polling during a class to make sure that the students have understood the content.

So I think my focus has—it was always to make sure that the exams are meant to evaluate the learning for the student in the course. But given this transition to an online format, I’m trying to explore ways in which I could test that learning in other settings.

VINCE LARA: Do either of you have students who are on internships that have gotten interrupted? And what do you do about that? Neha, if you want to handle that first.

NEHA GOTHE: Yeah, we have every semester between, I would say, 5 through 20 undergraduate research assistants. Since a lot of my research is campus-based, we have participants—research participants will come to our labs and participate in a variety of exercise, and fitness, and cognitive activities. We have had an army of undergraduate students who help us with all that in-person assessment and training.

So for them, I have had to creatively think of ways in which they could do other things remotely and still get somewhat of a research experience. So we have been doing and brainstorming ideas, such as doing an online journal club. So that would involve me giving an overview of the research process more towards the end of publications, manuscripts. How do we find the correct evidence? How do you read a journal article?

So for a lot of our undergraduate research students, these are new experiences, and they’re a little bit different from their day-to-day collection that they are used to. So I’m just exploring other ways in which I could give them glimpses of the research spectrum and the research experience without necessarily for them having to come into a lab and collect data.

VINCE LARA: Right. And Keiko, how about you?

KEIKO ISHIKAWA: OK, so for research experience in my lab, they are able to do a lot at home online. So we are not severely affected by it. Except that we were collecting data from audio screening clinic where we had a face-to-face interaction with the participants. So that had to stop.

And then that was—that is affecting a bit of the graduate students who are getting clinical practicum hours through the clinic. But that is only tip of an iceberg. We, as a clinical training program, our graduate students are severely affected by losing training sites, like schools and hospitals. They are unable to do their training at this point for indefinite time. We are very concerned about this.

And telehealth seems to be a really good solution to this problem. However, right now, we have a regulation where the telesupervision is not allowed. So we are quickly working to see how we can petition for changing this regulation, at least for the moment.

VINCE LARA: My thanks to Keiko and Neha. For more podcasts on Illinois’ College of Applied Health Sciences, search “A Few Minutes With” on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Radio.com, and other places you get your podcast fix. Thanks for listening, and see next time.

Tags: , , , , ,

Related news

A Few Minutes With … Toni Liechty

March 06, 2020 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Toni Liechty (Photo by Brian Stauffer)

Vince Lara speaks with Toni Liechty, an associate professor in the department of Recreation Sport and Tourism to talk about her research on why people get involved in fitness programs, what keeps them involved, and how life stage and body image impact that involvement.

Listen to the podcast
Transcript

VINCE LARA: Hi, and welcome to another edition of A Few Minutes With, the podcast that showcases Illinois’s College of Applied Health Sciences. I’m Vince Lara and today I’m speaking with Toni Liechty, an associate professor in the Department of Recreation Sport and Tourism, to talk about her research on why people get involved in fitness programs, what keeps them involved, and how life stage and body image impact that involvement.

All right. Sitting with Toni Liechty. Toni, thank you for being on the podcast. I really appreciate it. You know, commonly, when I meet with faculty, I ask them about their inspirations for their research. Because usually, there’s something that inspired you to look at what you study. And so for you, how did you get interested in your line of study?

TONI LIECHTY: So, I think maybe I might be a little different than some folks. I never had any interest in doing research or becoming a professor at all. In my field, in recreation sport and tourism, a lot of people go into the profession. And it’s not as common to go into research. And I thought that’s what I was going to do.

I used to work at a summer camp that was a sport and fitness camp. Which means that a lot of parents sent their kids there because they wanted them to lose weight. And while I was there, I in some ways saw that it was an amazing place for kids to come. I heard some kids say things like, I feel really comfortable at camp because I don’t feel like I’m going to get bullied because of my weight and things like that.

At the same time, I saw some things that were really problematic. You know, kids would share stories of how they would lose five pounds over the weekend and these sort of unhealthy weight loss issues. Another thing that I heard that kind of broke my heart was, I still remember a camper telling me that she said, I love swimming. It’s one of my favorite things to do. But I only swim at camp because at home, I don’t want to be the fat kid in the pool. And it kind of broke my heart that she would have something that she loved to do that would be good for her, but her body image made it so that she felt that she couldn’t do that.

And then I started to hear it more often, people saying, well, I like to play tennis. But I won’t play tennis because people will be looking at me if I were a little short skirt. Or even in other sports like soccer or basketball, I don’t want to run up and down the field and have people looking at my body.

And I thought initially, this was a thing that made sense at this weight loss camp. But when I came home and I decided to do a master’s degree, I started to notice it very commonly. Other people who I wouldn’t think of as having a weight issue still felt uncomfortable about their body.

And I think part of the reason that I really wanted to do a master’s degree was because, as a professional, I looked for information about how to improve our camp, how to make it better, how to address these body image issues in the setting. And I couldn’t find the information that I wanted. I didn’t feel like there was enough in terms of understanding of management of camps and sport facilities and so on. I didn’t feel like there was enough information about addressing body image issues specifically.

So that’s why I decided I was going to go back to school and study this. And I thought I was going to go back to school and study it so that I could come back to the camp and do a better job. But I kind of got hooked on the whole research thing and it went from there.

VINCE LARA: So you never really wanted to teach or anything. But the research part of it kind of sucked you in, I guess.

TONI LIECHTY: Especially in terms of how I viewed that it could make a difference in the professional world and how it could help to sort of make people’s lives better in a very noticeable way or direct way.

VINCE LARA: You know, some of your research looks at why people get into fitness programs and what keeps them there. And I’m interested, what led to that line of research?

TONI LIECHTY: Well, so when I started looking at body image, there’s a lot of research that says that people start out– that having a poor body image might encourage someone to start a fitness program. But it generally doesn’t lead to long term participation. Because if your motivation is just to look good and you start doing something physically active, it’s very unlikely you’re going to see results immediately. And if your only motivation was to see a physical result in terms of your appearance, then that result doesn’t happen so you stop doing the activity.

So I wanted to start to understand what else encourages people to be active, how can we get away from just the appearance factor, help to address different types of motivations that will keep people participating longer.

There’s also a lot of research saying that body image doesn’t lead to the most healthy behaviors. So if I’m trying to lose weight because of the way I look, I’m more likely to do sort of unhealthy dieting, excessive exercise, things that are going to just be focused on the way that I look.

Whereas if I’m motivated by my general health, I want to feel good, I want to interact with my friends, I want to get outdoors, things like that, I’m more likely to engage in healthy behaviors. So the idea is trying to shift people’s motivation and their reasons for physical activity away from the appearance focus and toward other types of things.

VINCE LARA: I’m curious if you ever are asked to consult with, let’s say, Planet Fitness or any of these other sorts of chains that pop up.

TONI LIECHTY: There’s a tension there.

VINCE LARA: OK.

TONI LIECHTY: Because I think there’s sort of an old fashioned thinking that if we can make people feel bad about the way they look, it will motivate them to be active.

VINCE LARA: Interesting.

TONI LIECHTY: And that’s the old school marketing approach, right? If you tell people, oh, you gained weight over the holidays. Don’t you want to lose that weight so that you can look good in a bikini in the summer, that it will encourage people to join your gym. But what we know from the research is that if people join the gym or whatever because of body shaming, then they do not continue to participate. So the difficulty in getting people to accept what the research says as opposed to what may seem a little bit more logical to them.

VINCE LARA: You know, one of your studies looks at barriers to physical activity. And what are some of those barriers and how do you go about trying to combat them?

TONI LIECHTY: I mean, the first barrier I was interested in was just the body image in general, being sort of self-conscious about the way you look. I think for a lot of people– So one of the things that people will report most commonly is that their barrier is time. They’ll say, well, I don’t have time to do it. Yet we know from research that people have time to do a whole lot of other things, right? They have time. Everybody has 24 hours in a day.

So it’s not necessarily how much time you have, but how you choose to allocate your time and what things you prioritize. A lot of people don’t prioritize physical activity because it’s not as easy or enjoyable as pulling out your phone and surfing on social media or doing something that’s more fun.

So one of the barriers, and is going to sound silly, but is just the fact that exercise is not fun for a lot of people. And I am not– I think a lot of people get into studying physical activity because they’re fitness gurus. But I am not a fitness guru. I don’t like going to the gym. I don’t like running. I don’t like working out in the traditional sense.

VINCE LARA: Sure.

TONI LIECHTY: But I like playing tennis. I like hiking. I like doing a lot of things that are active if they have something else that makes them enjoyable. And so for me, well, we also know in terms of research that there is a certain percentage of the population that would probably be active no matter what. They enjoy being active. But that’s a relatively small proportion. And most people, the majority of us don’t particularly like being physically active.

So I’m trying to help figure out how we can make physical activity more fun, more enjoyable, and more of a priority for people. If they have a barrier of just the inertia of getting started, if they view physical activity as a chore, if they think of it as something negative, if they don’t have anyone to participate with, that’s going to be more boring than if they want to do something that’s social.

And then there are a lot of barriers that people face just in their community. They face just the cost. We even hear people say that they don’t go to an activity that’s relatively low cost even if it’s only a couple of dollars. If their income is very low, that couple of dollars on a regular basis is not something they can afford.

Being in their local neighborhood, a lot of people are not willing or able to travel a long distance to work out at a gym or to hike in a park or something like that. So it needs to be relatively accessible to help people overcome that inertia of getting out and doing something active.

VINCE LARA: So what do you try to do to combat those things? Is there a movement that you– do reach out to, let’s say, a local park or community or something like that?

TONI LIECHTY: One of the things that we’ve been doing– So, I’m particularly interested in different life stages. And one group of people that are particularly inactive are older adults. And so, we’ve been working a little bit with Aurora Park District to find out what they do to help get people more active and what they do that is successful and is less successful.

And some of the things that they’ve been doing, one thing that they do is they have a punch card system so that people can buy a punch card. And every time they go to a class, they just take one punch. And that makes it so that they’re not paying for a whole class if they know that they’re not going be able to come every time. It makes it more cost effective. It also makes it feel less overwhelming to pay, say, a large amount of money for a session if they can’t afford it all at once.

And they make the classes fun. They make sure that there’s variety from class to class. They have fun music. They do fun moves during the act during the process. They encourage social interaction so that you come out come out and you hang out with your friends and you all laugh together and have a good time together. And it may sound silly, but fun is a pretty enticing element of any kind of leisure activity. So specifically for physical activity, which is not viewed as being very fun, if you can make it fun, that’s going to get people coming back.

VINCE LARA: You talked about looking at specific segments of people. So one specific segment you look at is women who play tackle football, really interesting. How did you get involved with that?

TONI LIECHTY: So I actually knew someone. She was a mature student who had come back to school. And she took a class from me and I was talking a little bit about body image. And she came up to me after class and said, this really resonated with me because I’ve always had a poor body image because I’ve always been really big. And I wanted to do things like figure skating. This was when I lived in Canada and figure skating’s very popular.

She said, but I never felt that I could do figure skating because I don’t have a body for it. And as an adult, I started playing tackle football and I realized that suddenly, instead of being a negative thing, my size was a positive thing. People appreciated, they wanted me on their team because I was big. So I thought, that’s such a unique setting. That’s such a unique sport that celebrates a bigger body, which is very uncommon for women.

You know, I used to do gymnastics or I played basketball or softball or tennis, different sports that have a sort of body that’s an ideal. And when I started talking to these women on the team, they said, what’s awesome about football for women specifically is that we can be any size that we are, whatever our body is now, and there will be a position that suits us. So instead of me trying to make my body be the way that the sport requires, I have the body that I have and I just find a position on the team that suits the way that my body is. And that makes a big difference in terms of the way I view my body and appreciate what my body can do instead of how my body looks.

VINCE LARA: Interesting. That’s a league in Canada for women who play tackle football?

TONI LIECHTY: Yeah. And there are leagues in the US, too. They’re just not as well-known.

VINCE LARA: Really interesting. You know, Illinois is an R1 university. So research projects are your bailiwick, right. And typically, there’s always a lot in your pipeline. So what have you got going on that you’re really excited about that you’re ready to talk about? It’s at that stage that you’re ready to talk about?

TONI LIECHTY: I think the thing that I’m kind of focusing on right now is a study I’m doing on roller derby. A colleague of mine out of Eastern Illinois University had kind of an in with some local roller derby leagues. And we did, actually, a photo voice approach where we asked the participants to take photographs of what roller derby means to them.

And they took photos of themselves doing derby. They took photos of their outfits. They took photos of their team, their family, and so on. And we interviewed them asking, why did you take these photos? Tell us about your experiences with roller derby.

And in some ways, there were some similarities to the football study in that they said, it’s a really cool sort of empowering sport that celebrates your body instead of telling you to fight your body and make it a certain way. That sense of celebrating your body as it is also encourages you to keep participating because there’s not a constant frustration that my body’s not correct, quote unquote, for this sport.

They also talked a lot about the social aspect and how they felt a lot of social support with the team, which kept them coming back. And a lot of people talked about how participating in that sport in that moment served a really valuable need for them. Like maybe they were going through a divorce or dealing with a health issue or something like that. They found this team and this sport and they were able to enjoy doing something physically active. They felt strong and empowered. They had this social network. So it really filled a lot of needs in their life.

And again, I think that’s one thing that we sometimes miss out on about physical activity. A lot of times, if you’re thinking, OK, I have 30 minutes in the day or a couple of hours in the day. If I can just only get physical activity out of it, that might not be a good enough use of my time. But if I can get physical activity. I can also get fun. I can also develop friendships. I can also develop connections in the community and all these different things, then that’s much a better use of my time, more efficient use of my time.

I don’t know that they all said it in those exact words. But a lot of them just talk about getting multiple benefits from participating in a given sport. And that’s another way that I think we can help promote ongoing activity and physical activity, or ongoing participation in physical activity.

VINCE LARA: My thanks to Dr. Liechty. For more podcasts on Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences, search A Few Minutes With on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Radio.com, and other places you get your podcast fix. Thanks for listening and see you next time.

Tags: , ,

Related news

College of Applied Health Sciences
110 Huff Hall
1206 South 4th Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-2131