Becoming a Better Bulldog at Truman

Photo courtesy of Truman State University

At Truman State University, Janes Dreamweaver, the director of fitness and wellness for campus recreation, is going above and beyond to make wellness accessible in every way.

One of the ways Truman makes wellness information available to its students and community is by having it be online. Via the campus recreation website, students can find the Better Bulldog Program, a self-guided wellness experience.

In the online program, students rate their aspects of wellness on a scale of one to 10. Additionally, they fill out a checklist of the positive activities they completed and things they would like to improve.

To build the Better Bulldog community, Dreamweaver has put together a Facebook group and created a weekly podcast to share wellness offerings happening around campus, helpful information and stories from guest speakers on campus.

“We’re all helping breed the same culture, and if the message and resources are consistent, I think it becomes a lot easier to follow the pack,” said Dreamweaver.

Another way wellness is made accessible on campus is through the Wellness Zone, located on the first floor of the Pickler Memorial Library. The zone provides a stress-free environment where the campus community can relax and practice stress management techniques.

Some of the offerings in the zone include massage chairs provided by The Back Massager, coloring books, puzzles and an ongoing chess game.

Additionally, bringing campus recreation out onto campus opens up the next way wellness is continuously made accessible: through department collaboration.

The wellness committee at Truman collaborates on wellness programming, providing information online and being a resource others can tap into.

“We’re just here to help, and being a smaller school, we can do a lot of things as perks or favors around campus,” he said. “It just networks you and helps build the larger community — there doesn’t have to be a cost associated with it.”

Bringing recreation out onto campus and networking with other departments and staff members has been highly beneficial in spreading wellness accessibility. Dreamweaver advises the easiest way is to find your helpers.

“Figure out on campus who is living a life that is aimed toward wellness, and if you start reaching out to those folks, even if it’s outside of their job description of what they do for campus, you usually strike a nerve for something they’re passionate about,” he said. “I’ve found that personally very helpful.”