On Sept. 5, Title IX held its first “Self-Care Workshop for Success” to educate students about the importance of self-care and inform students about the opportunities available to help them around campus.
Stress is almost synonymous with college life, with one in five college students reporting being stressed due to difficulty balancing work, home and school responsibilities.
Alyson Bergner, Associate Director at the Mitchell-West Center for Social Inclusion, and Kate Hanbery, Title IX Coordinator & Director of Prevention, Education & Response, see this plea and hope to show students that the University of North Alabama cares and offers tools to support their physical, mental, academic and social health.
“[We’re] trying to start out the semester strong with all the resources students have access to on campus,” said Bergner.
Bergner and Hanbery explained that mental health is holistic in that each type of health is connected and supports another. Good physical health contributes to quality academic and social health, and vice versa.
In the presentation, Bergner and Hanbery showed that UNA cares about student well-being, offering several tools to help students trek through the semester.
Bergner covered all the bases to help students succeed. From mental health to physical health, UNA has something to offer.
For mental health, UNA offers counseling services and social events to help students connect and help one another.
For academic health, places like the Zen Den give students a quiet place to study and free online tutoring for those extra tough classes. The Writing Center and Math Learning Center are also available to check your work and verify if it is submission-ready.
For physical health, UNA has one of the first university-owned food pantries in Alabama for its students, and they also have loads of fitness options for student recreation.
For financial health, UNA offers a Caring for the Pride fund that allows students to request financial aid to help pay rent and buy groceries or other necessities.
After the presentation, Bergner and Hanbery also gave students the opportunity to create their own self-care bag. Each student had the opportunity to take a handful of items including bath bombs, collapsible canteens, face masks and other personal items.
Hanbery took this time to educate freshmen about Title IX and the resources available on campus to combat discrimination, sexual harassment and stalking.
Hanbery also delved into relationship issues such as constructing boundaries, exercising consent and recognizing abusive behavior before it escalates.
If you or someone you know is struggling, a support program is available for student intervention and aid at report.una.edu.
