As members of the University entered Marillac Terrace on Thursday, Sept. 18, between noon and 3 p.m., they were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd ready to engage them with conversations about health and wellness.
The fair, an annual wellness educational event organized by the Department of Student Wellness, attracted many students, faculty and staff.
Focusing on topics such as healthy eating, time management, body image, sexual assault and violence prevention, the Wellness Fair introduced University members to various on-campus resources available for them.
For instance, the Center for Counseling & Consultation (CCC) located in Marillac Hall room 130 provides free and confidential support for students regarding stress, anxiety, family or social concerns, relationship difficulties, grief, trauma, alcohol or substance abuse, food relationship issues, homesickness and loneliness, etc.
Other resources include alcohol prevention and bystander intervention. Students also have opportunities to develop leadership skills by applying to become Wellness Peer Educators or Stressbusters.
Ruth DeRosa, associate director of Student Wellness, mentioned that the fair was planned and organized around topics that students most often have to deal with during their college lives. The fair is structured to help students gain awareness of issues and the resources available to them, enabling them to to make choices for healthier options. “We’re actually looking to do at least two (wellness events) a month; some of them are stress reduction during mid-term and finals… But major events that we do are tobacco programs, sleep programs, stress and study skills… So we try to do two of them a month, per semester,” said DeRosa.
Sexual assault and violence prevention is also a big focus on campus this year, along with colleges and universities across the country, as institutions nationwide face criticism for their allegedly inadequate response to sexual harassment cases.
In an effort to bring updated information and analysis on this issue, Student Wellness is collaborating with the Women and Gender Studies Program, hosting an event on this issue on Oct. 9 during common hour in the Writing Center lounge.
Meanwhile students can subscribe to Student Health 101 Magazine (http://readsh101.com/stjohns.html), to get up-to-date information and resources on health and wellness issues they may be facing.
