Student Wellness Project

On February 23^rd, 2013, the Student Wellness Project gathered students, wellness-related student groups, and administrators together at a Wellness Summit to discuss the state of student health and wellness at Columbia and propose improvements. In attendance were representatives from Active Minds, the Columbia Neuroscience Society, Nightline, Stressbusters, Alice!, the Office of Residential Programs, the Undergraduate Recruitment Committee, the Columbia College Student Council, the Engineering Student Council, and the Student Government Association.

The discussions from this summit were compiled into a report that contains three key recommendations for reform at Columbia to improve student wellness:

• New Student Orientation Program (NSOP) Reform 
• First Semester Pass/Fail Policy
• Columbia Psychological Services Restructuring/Expansion

The report will be presented to Columbia College Dean James Valentini this Friday, May 3rd.

Please read our full report here.

You will also find coverage of the report in the Columbia Daily Spectator and The Lion.

Questions, comments, and suggestions are highly welcome – please leave a comment here, or email swpcore@googlegroups.com. We want to advocate for you!

Applications are now closed. Thanks for the interest. Results will be announced by February 18.

The Student Wellness Project is excited to announce the opportunity to live in the 2013-2014 Wellness House! Wellness House is a Special Interest Community located on the 3rd floor of the newly renovated W 113th St. brownstone, aka the “Convent”.

The Wellness House aims to be a warm, supportive community of students who are interested in low-stress, judgment-free healthy living of all kinds. We emphasize peer support, friendship, and open communication, and we welcome people of all backgrounds and all levels of involvement on campus.

The house itself has been described by Dean Terry Martinez as “prime space” – there is a lounge on every floor, newly furnished bathrooms, and large, homey rooms with cozy touches such as bow windows and real fireplaces. In the basement there is a large renovated kitchen and meeting space, decked out with AV equipment and seating. There’s even a computer lab and a bike storage room.

All CC/SEAS students with guaranteed housing status may apply to live in the Wellness House. You don’t have to be a Student Wellness Project member. In fact, we expect many Wellness House residents to have no prior involvement with the Student Wellness Project.

Please direct questions to swpcore@googlegroups.com.

FAQ

1. How does applying to Wellness House affect the normal room selection process?

The Wellness House is a Special Interest Community, and our registration process takes place earlier than the normal housing selection process. So once all the applications for Wellness House are in (due 2/16), we’ll compile our final roster and then submit that to Residential Programs for approval. You would find out by the end of February whether or not you were selected to live in Wellness House. If you are selected, you may accept or decline the offer. If you are not selected, you will still be able to go through the normal housing selection process as usual, which begins March 6th. So you have really nothing to lose by applying to Wellness House!

2. If my application is selected, is the decision binding?

The initial offer is non-binding. You will have at least a day in advance to make up your mind after being notified of an offer to live in Wellness House. Once you accept, the roster will be finalized and you may not renege on your agreement unless an unseen circumstance and/or emergency arises. This is done out of consideration to other applicants who may receive an offer should someone else give up his/her spot and to avoid unnecessary complications for administrators and for the SWP members who will be putting a great amount of effort into organizing the best arrangements possible for the Wellness House, which includes selecting a group of people we think will best contribute to a meaningful, positive, and safe living dynamic.

3. What does the floor of the Wellness House look like?

Here’s a diagram. The rooms outlined in black will constitute the Wellness House. Wellness House members will be sharing the space with an RA and another SIC group, Creative Commons.

By Byron Jones

We don’t know why that we do it, but it seems safe to assume we all know that we do. Technically it shouldn’t ever happen, you know? It’s simply illogical. What, you might ask, is so illogical? Making an association between mutually exclusive events. Funny how a stats term can be seemingly irrelevant to daily life…it’s not! It just seems that way.

You wake up and drag yourself out of your warm bed, make your way to some food source, and anxiously walk to class. You are getting your test back today…you sit down. The only seat available was in the back and you have to watch the whole class get their tests first. Those bastards. BAM! You get your grade back. Didn’t expect the grad to be THAT good, but it is! A mass text to your friends immediately follows this awesome news. It’s a great day to be you. Don’t be embarrassed that you literally gave yourself a pat on the back. You deserved it. The rest of the day you are untouchable. That workout later doesn’t seem that hard, that meeting with the co-chairs will be a breeze, and every joke seems a bit funnier. Weather is great regardless of whether you see the sun out.

Your hand slips,  moves off, and almost slams on the desk. Class is so boring. The test won’t be handed back until the end of class. Man…this professor only read off the slides and it’s warm in here. You were bound to fall asleep. Wait…the tests are being passed out. WHAM! Well this is why the average was so low and maybe watching so much Walking Dead wasn’t the best idea. Man this sucks. Look at it again just to double check. Yup. Still sucks. Friends call out to you as you walk across campus, but until they’re a few feet away, you don’t hear them. Man that workout was hard, that meeting took forever, and why the hell has the weather been so miserable lately?

Something close to both of these scenarios has happened to all of us. If you think about it no event that isn’t directly related to that meeting later or that workout should effect our outlook on how they are going to go. The psychology behind it is not important and frankly I don’t really know it. What I do know is that we should obviously be aware of the pros and cons of both of these situations.

It’s obvious why you shouldn’t beat yourself up over a bad grade, or if that really cute person doesn’t pick up on your hints. You asked them to grab a bite to eat, but they are getting dinner with their friends after work. It’s ok (tears rolls down the cheek). Rejection happens. Sometimes things just don’t work out and that is ok. The one thing not to do is let it hang over you all day like a dark cloud. If that one thing went wrong…make DAMN sure that something else today goes right! You’re the maker of your own destiny. Enough so that you can make something go well. Don’t let it slide too easily because maybe there is something to be learned, but again, don’t dwell.

How can there be a downside to letting a good grade or getting that dream date carry you through the day? Being optimistic and feeling good is great. You should always recognize when something great has happened and let yourself enjoy it. When you work hard you are right to want to see the rewards. And you should! Don’t get carried though. Maybe you should be a little bit worried about that workout or meeting. Going in there with blind optimism may keep you from being properly preparing. Be happy and realistic.

Take the good with the bad. Ride the good waves for as long as you can without being carried away to a fantasy land. Ride that bad wave – however painful it may be – for just long enough to learn from it. Life is full of ups and downs. It’s all about learning how long to ride each one and what to do while you are.