Campus recreation often acts as an escape for students, providing a space away from stressful academics. Schools across the country are turning to exercise recovery and wellness options to enhance offerings and the student experience. From amenities, classes and new spaces, many departments are aiming to improve mental health across campuses in a variety of ways.
Steve Woita, the assistant director for Wellness Services and Fitness Programs at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), compares their holistic well-being offerings to a toolbox. Campus Recreation provides tools through programming and services in hopes students can learn from and utilize them in future situations.
“One of the growing trends I keep hearing [from students] is, ‘I’m overwhelmed with school, work and life,’” explained Woita. “So, any tool — or practice — we can put in their toolbox that can help them be more mindful or less anxious about their long list of responsibilities is a win.”
To promote wellness, UNL Campus Recreation has created many initiatives:
- A massage therapy program.
- Injury prevention and care.
- Nutrition education.
- Implementing other healing practices into small group programming, including classes on yoga, qigong, mindful movement and sound bowl meditations.
“These programs start first and foremost with looking at what our students need and want,” said Woita. “Secondly, we look at what modalities are well-rooted in science and show the benefits of these practices. Thirdly, it comes down to what’s practical or feasible and looking at how to execute our ideas.”
EXTRA CREDIT: The University of North Florida has found success in the creation of a campus-wide, holistic health initiative.
One of the reasons UNL can offer a wide variety of classes is because group fitness or massage therapy staff already have background, training or certification in different meditation or mindfulness practices. Exploring what staff are already trained or are interested in is a great way to minimize the cost of expanding programming.
Woita acknowledged some of UNL’s offerings are only beginning to rise in general popularity. Some still are not widely accepted as wellness practices. However, he emphasized the need to try a new program and assess the results for your community.
“Don’t be afraid to pilot a program and try it on a small scale,” explained Woita. “Learn from that experience and see what the positives are. What are things you could do better to improve on in the future?”
Towson University is also taking an unconventional approach to promoting wellness by creating fun and relaxing spaces. Coloring stations and board games are around the facility, adding elements of play. Calmness is put into the Zen spaces with intention behind design choices. From the color scheme on the walls to soft lighting, Human Touch massage chairs, Hyperice percussion tools and a sand garden, the variety of amenities and areas truly make the facility an escape.
“Students can do things that get their minds distracted from whatever’s going on in their day,” explained Gabrielle Guynan, the assistant director of Fitness. “These spaces allow them to play and remember the feelings of being a kid for a moment.”
EXTRA CREDIT: This Rec Your Stress program helps address the mental health crisis.
To perpetuate eliminating potential stressors, Towson Campus Recreation remains casual and intentional when requesting feedback from students. They have TVs throughout the facility. But, in relaxation spaces screens only show nature scenes instead of marketing for programs or QR codes to feedback surveys. Instead, staff are observing for effectiveness through other ways. These include paying attention to how often they have to restock coloring pages, conversational feedback and reviews on social media.
The ultimate goal of these spaces is to bring equity to wellness. Improving accessibility to recovery and relaxation, which people usually must pay for, ultimately improves campus culture and student experience. Through implementing various aspects of well-being into operations, the department shows itself as working toward holistic health goals for the entire campus.
“By sprinkling in these activities and spaces, the hope is our identity changes in the eyes of the user,” said Katie White, the associate director of Programming and Assessment at Towson. “Campus Rec is more than just a gym or a place to go play basketball. Our facility is where we can do all sorts of things, and there’s something for everyone.”
Another university promoting a different version of health through various spaces is Centre College. Wanting to prove fitness and well-being can happen anywhere on campus, Centre renovated the basements of dormitories into various exercise and well-being rooms that are open to all students. These include:
- Sensory room for neurodiverse students.
- Functional fitness room with size-inclusive equipment.
- Yoga space where students can practice mindfulness and meditation.
EXTRA CREDIT: The pros and cons of massage services.
“Our fitness environment could be intimidating for certain individuals, and we wanted to create comfortable spaces for all students,” said Ashley Hinton, the director of Health Promotion at Centre.
Ultimately, the goal of these rooms is to provide spaces where students may be more comfortable working out beyond the fitness center, spreading wellness across campus.
A recently added massage chair in Centre’s campus center allows students to unwind after a workout or study session. Hinton noted it’s such a popular resource that they’re considering adding one in the library as well.
The chair is put out at 9 a.m. and taken back in at 5 p.m. It’s available on a first-come-first-serve basis instead of a reservation system. To promote the full effects of relaxation, users are asked to not use their phone while getting a massage.
“We live in a space where we’re so connected to our devices,” said Hinton. “We know it’s better for our well-being if we can step away from that which is why we ask them to unplug. Some of them still use their phones when using the massage chair, but others truly just close their eyes, unplug and relax.”
EXTRA CREDIT: Drake Belt details how strategic collaborations in campus recreation can enhance student mental health programming.
Meeting students where they are has been a big takeaway for Hinton from these initiatives. Requiring certain practices or limiting the environments where well-being practices take place can deter engagement. Instead, feedback from students was one way she recommended figuring out where their needs lie.
Some programming that has resulted from these decisions include:
- Outdoor yoga and hiking programming.
- Events that promote discussion relating to sexual health, substance misuse recovery and other important topics.
A lot of these wellness initiatives not only bring awareness to the physical and mental health of students but also social connectedness, especially for incoming classes who had key stages of their development stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of current college freshmen had to quarantine their freshman year of high school,” explained Hinton. “This is a unique class for all colleges right now, and they have needs for connection with others and creation of healthy habits. We’re at the right place, at the right time, to do some great programming and get them in the correct routines for the next four years.”
