Once a month, the OSU Institute of Technology community is invited lace up their walking shoes for Sneaker Day.

The monthly activity, aimed at OSUIT faculty and staff, continues on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at noon. Those who would like to take part should meet on the walking trail at the corner of Tower Road and Wayne Miller Drive.

“It’s a designated time for you to get up and get active during the day,” said Kamie Rash, activities coordinator in the Office of Student Life. “We all say ‘I need to take a walk, I need to get out of the office.’ We all know it, but Sneaker Day gives you a reason to do it.”

Those who participate are given a Sneaker Day rally towel and an OSUIT water bottle. The funding for Sneaker Day comes from the Blue Cross Wellness Incentive Program.

“They say sitting is the new smoking. Sitting, it’s just as detrimental to your health than smoking,” Rash said.

Encouraging people to take a break from their desks is just one of the goals of Sneaker Day.

“You get to do it with someone else. It’s physical exercise and social exercise,” she said. “I wanted to give departments and different areas of campus a chance to mingle. We kind of stay within our areas a lot of the time and this gives us an opportunity to get together.”

While Sneaker Day is aimed at faculty and staff, students are welcome to participate as well.

“Students can take part too. It gives them a chance to get to know people outside of the classroom,” Rash said.

Sneaker Day started during the summer semester, but attendance was slim during the hot summer months.

“I’m hoping the cooler weather will bring out more people to enjoy the day,” she said. “I even want to extend it to the winter. If it’s cold, we can walk around the basketball court. The whole point is to get us up and active and social.”