YSU Offers Adulting 101 Sessions

By Katlyn Kritz

Youngstown State University began presenting the Adulting 101 series at the beginning of the semester. Each session offers a different skill for young students to learn.

The Andrews Recreation and Wellness Center hosted a session that assisted students with meal planning on Sept. 12. The tables that were set up offered healthy recipes to students, as well as several different handouts to help with setting up meal plans.

Ryan McNicholas, assistant director of marketing for fitness and wellness programs, said the session is good for students because it’s important for them to know what is going into their bodies.

“Students can benefit from being aware of their nutrition by knowing what they’re taking in, as well as budgeting to see what the cost of food is when it comes to prepping their own foods or going out to eat,” he said.

Many college students may find it hard to watch their diets. McNicholas said some of the easiest ways to watch their nutrition is by reading labels and making thorough meal plans. He said using the registered dietician on campus is a great way for students to learn about their nutrition.

Angela Drohn, marketing manager for YSU dining, was helping at the session and explained what students living on campus can do for their meal plans.

“It is one of our priorities to provide students with healthy options at all of our YSU dining locations,” she said. “We have identifiers for vegan and vegetarian menu items.”

Drohn said most food stations on campus offer a build-your-own concept, making it easier for students to choose healthy eating options.

Though this session was on nutrition, the series will feature many different sessions on variety of topics such as laundry, budgeting and most recently Hooking Up in College.

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex and gender discrimination and was also the sponsor of the Hooking Up in College segment of Adulting 101. Kelly Beers, director of the Title IX division of student experience, said she wants to address the fact that there is no singular definition for “hooking up.”

“It’s important for [students] to talk with their sexual partners before they have sex about what they both want out of their experience,” she said. “I also want to address consent, coercion, healthy relationships and help set some norms for how to get to a good place in your relationships.”

Beers said it’s a part of her job to educate students about sex, which is why she chose to lead the segment. However, this isn’t the only segment she led. She said she is running the budgeting session because budgeting is a personal interest of hers.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of these topics that we don’t educate [students] on and we just assume that they’ll figure it out, which basically sets them up for failure,” Beers said.

The sessions will continue to happen weekly until the end of October. Beers said she strongly encourages students to come check it out, sit in and see what they can learn.