Dean Chu: Cultivating Bodies and Minds
With over 4,400 students on campus, it’s not surprising that we see many familiar faces at our activities and classes. You may not be able to help that the ’16 whose trip you led now holds an arguably higher position than you in your sorority, or that the guy you awkwardly spilled chili on at Collis is in your Econ class. Some overlaps, however, seem even less predictable — like my undergraduate dean teaching my spinning PE class.
Assistant dean June Chu not only advises students through the undergraduate deans office, but also teaches PE classes at the College. The deans office aims “to support students in their engagement with the curriculum and in their overall experience at Dartmouth.” Chu does just that. She works with half of the class of 2015, which is around 550 students.
“It’s a lot of students, but I love it,” Chu said.
Chu has also been teaching spinning for more than ten years and finds that her high-energy PE class sometimes leads students to seek her out for advising.
“What I have found is that students who do take my class actually will come and make appointments to come and see me,” Chu said. “I have a student who just took my PE classes and really clicked with me, and she comes and sees me for advising.”
Chu explained that getting to know her advisees outside of the office helps her to give the best possible academic advice and counseling services.
“I think our office has really moved to a very proactive philosophy of engaging with our students,” Chu said. “We can support you so that you know that we’re not here as punitive people.”
Chu is also certified in group exercise and teaches BODYCOMBAT at the River Valley Club in Lebanon, N.H. BODYCOMBAT (in all-caps everywhere on their website, FYI) is an exercise class described as a “fiercely energetic program inspired by mixed martial arts” including “karate, boxing, taekwondo, tai chi and muay thai” (does the capitalization seem fitting yet?).
Before coming to Dartmouth, Chu worked at the University of Pennsylvania as the director of the Asian-American cultural center. While at Penn, she also taught spinning, BODYCOMBAT and BOOTCAMP PE classes during off hours.
Chu cited the teamwork involved in teaching BODYCOMBAT as a reason that it’s her favorite class to teach.
“I think it’s because there’s a team established there at that gym,” she said.
Dartmouth is, as Daniel Webster famously said, “a small college,” so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised when our dean shows us up with her skills in Alumni Gym. So next time you’re flipping through the list of FLIP classes, consider taking a class with Chu. I promise you won’t regret it – even when your legs are sore on the hike up to 3FB.