INDIANOLA, Iowa — Simpson College will hold a Wellness Fair on Sept. 27 to help students form valuable, healthy living habits. Staying healthy during the school year is challenging, but staying healthy as a college student is a job all on its own. Being surrounded by hundreds of people at all times who each have their own health issues makes it almost impossible to not at least catch the sniffles.

Simpson’s annual Wellness Fair aims to inform students, faculty and staff about how to live a healthy lifestyle, as well as bring awareness to the many local resources who are happy to help.

“Participants can circle around the room, have conversations about services available and grab freebies,” said Nicole Darling, assistant director of student activities and intramurals.

The Balance Life and Wellness Committee organizes the fair each year, hoping to give the Simpson community useful resources for staying healthy. Free items include five-minute chair massages and the chance to win raffle prizes with the completion of their survey.

Flu shots are also a valuable tool in staying healthy throughout the cold months of the school year and beyond.

Flu vaccination percentages remain extremely low throughout the years, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Anywhere from 8 to 39 percent of college students receive their flu shot each year, dangerously short of the 50 percent goal from the American College Health Association and even shorter of the 70 percent from the “Healthy People 2020” target set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Flu shots will be available for students for $25,” Darling said.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases reported that approximately 5 to 20 percent of individuals get the flu each year, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized. In addition, tens of thousands of people die from flu-related complications.

“I never got the flu in middle or high school, so I never got the flu shot,” said sophomore Courtney Kersey, who supports the flu shot initiative. “But once I came to college and experienced communal living for the first time, I got the flu and wished I would have gotten the shot prior to coming to Simpson. Free flu shots would be a huge advantage for people on campus, even if just to cut down the spread of it.”

Simpson’s Wellness Fair will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Black Box Theater. For more information, contact Darling at [email protected].