Spring 2008 Newsletter · Issue 31
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WesWELL
Article authored by Lisa Currie
Director of Health Education at Wesleyan
When considering the health needs of your Wesleyan student, the presence of medical services may come to mind first, or perhaps resources for mental and emotional health care. And in fact, Wesleyan’s Health Services and Office of Behavioral Health for Students each provide excellent care for your student in these realms.
Yet a third health office exists within the walls of the Davison Health Center which supports your student in their personal and academic success. WesWELL, the Office of Health Education, is dedicated to the promotion of student health through educational outreach and other prevention-oriented activities.
Ernest Boyer, a well-respected American educator, stated in Campus Life: In Search of Community that “wellness must be a prerequisite to all else. Students cannot be intellectually proficient if they are physically and psychologically unwell.” To that end, WesWELL’s mission is to support student success by engaging students in critical thinking about their health as an important aspect of their Wesleyan education.
Staffed by a professional health educator and student Peer Health Advocates, WesWELL utilizes evidence-based health promotion methodologies to address the health issues of most critical concern to college students today – alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, sexual health, sexual violence, stress, nutrition, fitness and more. WesWELL is perhaps the most visible of the three health offices, as students frequently interact with the staff during educational programs held in their residential living areas and other venues throughout campus.
WesWELL’s visibility with the student body begins with New Student Orientation, where a peer theater piece entitled “Unspeakable Acts” encourages students to engage in discussion on sexual violence. During that week, WesWELL also hosts an open house for the Davison Health Center, offers fitness classes, and supports the appearance of a national speaker, Randy Haveson, who promotes low-risk choices on alcohol and other drug use.
Throughout the year, a variety of methods are utilized to reach students — interactive workshops, passive flier campaigns, distribution of printed educational materials, a blog, an extensive website with online assessment tools, and even awareness events such as our annual Sexual Health Expo. The staff also provides training for student Residential Life staff, Event Staff, and other student leadership positions on campus.
Peer education is a highly valuable tool in WesWELL’s health promotion toolbox. The Peer Health Advocates (PHAs) are a trained group of more than twenty-five students who utilize positive peer influence to encourage healthier lifestyles, often in collaboration with other student organizations. They encourage their peers to think critically about their own health and how health status supports or reduces their academic and personal success. The PHAs also make referrals to connect students with clinical and educational resources to aid in that decision-making process.
In all these activities, students are encouraged to make informed, conscious decisions about their health behaviors in order to prevent illness, injury or other problems. Taking a harm reduction approach, students are challenged to take a long-term view, as today’s decisions may have an impact on their health and well-being in the future.
The Peer Health Advocates have also been instrumental in creating policy changes that benefit the campus community. In 2001, they advocated for the creation of smoke-free residential living areas, a policy which has significantly reduced exposure to secondhand smoke and enhanced the residential living experience. Many PHAs also sit on university committees, such as the Alcohol and other Drug Committee and the Student Health Advisory Committee, in an effort to address student health at the institutional level as well as the personal.
Taking an integrative approach, the health education staff often collaborates with the clinical staff to address emerging issues of concern. For example, when an outbreak of gastroenteritis hit campus during a recent spring semester, WesWELL quickly mounted an aggressive campaign to promote hand washing as a primary preventative measure. Clinicians are also frequent collaborators on educational programs, giving students who may not routinely visit the Davison Health Center the chance to interact with them outside a medical setting.
Students are encouraged to drop by the WesWELL office on the second floor of the Davison Health Center to browse the Resource Library, pick up free non-prescription safer sex supplies, or ask a question. Non-credit classes in yoga, meditation, kung fu, tai chi and cardio kickboxing are offered each semester to encourage engagement in regular fitness activities. All classes are taught by certified instructors, many of whom are current Wesleyan students or alumni, and are held on campus at times convenient to student schedules.
Parents are considered a partner in promoting student health and well-being. To this end, a webpage specifically for parents has been developed to assist you in understanding available health resources and connecting you with relevant information on college health issues and Wesleyan resources.
If you wish to share a helpful resource or have a question, please feel free to contact Lisa Currie, Director of Health Education, at 860\685-2466 or by email at lcurrie@wesleyan.edu.