Photo courtesy of Renee Cicchino
It is time for registration again and it may be worth checking out the course catalog to find some of the more interesting classes Seton Hall has to offer. In the Health and Physical Education and Recreation department alone, there are a handful of unique classes for student looking for a change, including Personal Fitness and Scuba Diving.
For students hoping to broaden their horizons while still working towards graduation, these classes may be exactly what they need. Personalized Physical Fitness, HPER 2222, is a class that, according to the catalog, allows students to be mentored in the establishment of their own attainable and measurable fitness goals and devise a comprehensive fitness plan. It is being offered next semester on Monday and Wednesday, running from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Angelo Gingerelli, a strength and conditioning coach here at Seton Hall, will be teaching the class.
According to Gingerelli, the class will be divided into two parts, with a lecture on one day and physical activity the next, “connecting clinical components in the classroom with practical applications in real life.”
For Gingerelli, the goal of the class is for students to learn about anatomy, physiology and dieting and nutrition. The aim is to gain enough of a background in the subjects to be physically mindful adults. The class will also teach students how to train specific populations and how to set and evaluate goals and achievements. In fact, the very first assignment for the class, according to Gingerelli, is to set a specific goal for students to work towards by using the methods taught in the class.
The class is beneficial to a wide spectrum of students, Gingerelli said, although it accepts 20 students at most. He believes that, although athletes can still learn from this class, the general population can more out of it by learning about things they have not been exposed to previously.
“If you want to become physically active,” Gingerelli said, “This class will expose you to the training, and you can decide how you want to continue.”
Scuba diving, HPER 3444, is another class that will take students out of the classroom and push them to their limits. The class is offered next semester on Wednesdays and Thursdays, running from 6:45 to 9:15 p.m. It will be taught by diving instructor Renee Cicchino, who is certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
The scuba class is divided into two parts. The first half of the semester is dedicated to the academic aspect of scuba. Cicchino incorporates physics, physiology, the environment and ecology with safe scuba practices. The second half of the class is taught in the swimming pool, where students get to use scuba equipment and learn problem-solving skills that could be life-saving when diving in open waters.
Along with a lab fee of $200, which includes the textbook and the equipment needed to dive, students thinking about enrolling in the class should be in good shape. They will need to fill out a medical form to be sure they are able to dive.
For Cicchino, the class has a personal aspect. She took it her senior year and it motivated her to start scuba diving, a hobby she has pursued for over 20 years. She brings in videos and pictures from her own trips as well as things she has found on dives, including the teeth of an extinct megalodon shark she found while diving in South Carolina.
“It is a whole other world down there,” Cicchino said. “To have the opportunity to experience the ocean wildlife is relaxing, peaceful and fun.”
Elena Vitullo can be reached at elena.vitullo@student.shu.edu.
