When students come to a prestigious college such as Vassar, there is a tendency to put fitness on the back burner. However, Vassar College has an program set in place to help keep Vassar students active and healthy. In the Pink, created by Roman Czula, is a program dedicated to emphasize the importance of health and fitness in our daily lives. From classes to fitness consultations, In the Pink is an invaluable resource for every Vassar student.
Roman Czula describes In the Pink as a life fitness program. “The goal of the In the Pink Life Fitness program is to make it as easy as possible for everyone in the community to get involved in some physical activity and to try activities that they have never experienced before,” explained Czula in an emailed statement. “No one questions the value of physical activity or stress relief in our lives.”
Senior Jenny Leung has been largely involved with In the Pink fitness classes for all of her four years here at Vassar. She has utilized Ani Kunga’s meditation course, along with courses in yoga, tai chi and self defense. Leung, who mostly participates in study break classes, which are offered during midterms and finals week, wrote in an emailed statement that, “the study break classes are great, because not only are there plenty to choose from, but the classes are also a healthy way to take a fresh break from the long hours of the library and be in a different, stress-free atmosphere.”
One of the most prominent features of the program is the amount of classes offered. Activities range from yoga to kick boxing to Zumba, and are offered at all different times during the week. In total, there are around 100 hours a week of fitness classes. “It is a matter of finding the best program for each of us and making the time in our hectic schedules,” described Czula. “I want to get everyone to the point where missing that workout or yoga or meditation is more painful than actually doing it.”
Junior Emily Blustein recently started taking a Pilates class put on by In the Pink. “I’ve never taken Pilates before, so I was pretty nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to do it, but it was a great class,” Blustein expressed. “I’m going to continue with this In the Pink class because I felt like I got a really great workout.”
Cassandra Currie, who has been a yoga trainer for five years at Vassar, teaches one of the many classes offered. She is a strong proponent of the program. “I believe the benefits of the Life Fitness classes are truly far-reaching,” Currie wrote. “All of the classes offered provide students, faculty, the Vassar community, as well as the surrounding community an opportunity to engage in a wide range of physical activities.”
In the Pink is a program unique to Vassar that effectively promotes physical and emotional health for students with a lot of stress and a full schedule. “Just the fact that Vassar has these fitness classes available from morning to night is comforting to delirious students who have been drowning in papers and exams,” Leung explained. “I like to think that my college cares about me and wants me to stay sane.”
Czula, who has dedicated a lot of time to In the Pink, wants all Vassar students to experience what the program has to offer. “I would like everyone to know that they can try any of our offerings with no obligation to continue,” Czula wrote. “But the operative notion here is that everyone try at least one or our many classes.”
