A new Well-Being Wing in the Charles J. Ping Recreation Center offers students innovative resources for mental and holistic health support.
Ohio University has recently opened the Well-Being Wing to provide wellness activities for students. By opening the wing in an existing fitness space, students are able to focus on both their mental and physical health.
Creating the Well-Being Wing
The idea for opening the Well-Being Wing originated from the emphasis on mental health after the global pandemic. To turn the wing into a reality, the university transformed existing underutilized areas in the Charles J. Ping Recreation Center into spaces that support holistic wellness.
“The wing provides a space for students to really focus on mental health and gives another avenue to take care of themselves that’s not related to physical workouts in a space,” said Hanna Vorisek, the assistant director of the Ping Recreation Center.
The new wing contains several different rooms each with a designated purpose including:
- Relax and Recover room with CryoLounge+ and Hydro Massage machines.
- Relax and Slow Down room contains a RelaxSpace Wellness Pod for relaxation and provides a calming sensory experience.
- Well-Being Studio dedicated to mental health support and coaching. Students can enter this space and converse with trained peers one-on one to foster mental wellness.
- Suite containing moveable furniture, a graffiti wall, light box therapy, instruments and other recreational activities that students use to improve their mental well-being.
Student Feedback
The Well-Being Wing has been received well. Wes Bonadio, the director of Well-Being and Recreation, has noted an increase in student engagement and feedback. “The response we got from students indicated we’re definitely on the right track,” recalled Bonadio. “I think that reaffirms what students really want, especially as we’re sharing this and potentially spread to other spaces across campus.”
What makes the wing successful is how responsive the staff is to student feedback. Recognizing what students want and implementing it ultimately drives more engagement. “We involve others and broaden our perspective as to how the space can serve students well beyond just physical activity and traditional health and wellness,” explained Bonadio.
Collaboration is Key
Both Vorisek and Bonadio emphasized that health and wellness are not limited to a singular department but rather a collective mission. The Well-Being Wing was made possible by a collaborative effort with Ohio University’s Department of Student Affairs, Counseling and Psychology Services and the College of Fine Arts.
“I think there’s some sense of who owns well–being depending on how your college uses that phrase,” said Vorisek. “But we’ve taken on that phrase to say we all own it. It’s not one person, department, area or program. It’s all of us. We’ve been blessed to be able to collaborate with different partners across different lines. We want to bring more people into student wellness.”
Collaboration has allowed the Well-Being Wing to flourish and develop in ways that were previously not possible.
“It’s a tangible demonstration of something that our staff, team and division can look at and realize there are some things we can do if we try and help each other out and cooperate instead of compete,” said Bonadio.
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