By Ava Burchell, Staff Writer
The First Annual Student Well-being Fair happened inside and outside the Jaeger Center on April 6. This collaboration between the RISE House and Campus Recreation brought together many resources to support students’ well-being. RISE house leader Kaley Michael ’22 collaborated with RISE House mentor Cindy Wright to create, plan, and execute this event.
When asked about the importance of the Well-being Fair for Gettysburg College students, Michael said, “We decided it was needed on campus because so many students simply don’t know about the wealth of resources on campus that support students’ well-being in so many different ways: mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and even financially.”
During the fair, students participated in various fitness classes, won raffles and giveaways, received free t-shirts, and visited tables from various resourceful offices and clubs. Campus organizations such as the Center for Student Success, PEEPS, Phoenix Rising, Psych P.A.L.S., the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, and SPARK offered well-being resources and information on their missions. In addition, Seeing Eye Puppies visited Gettysburg College on the Jaeger Center lawn.
Michael hopes that the Student Well-being Fair becomes a tradition on campus and happens every year from now, although she is graduating this year. She believes that this will be a lasting collaboration between RISE and Campus Recreation, as well as other co-sponsoring organizations.
Michael said, “If a student does not feel like people on campus care about how they are doing or how they feel mentally, emotionally, spiritually, this impacts their learning and their overall college experience. I believe that if students know who they can go to when times are tough – or even when they aren’t – then we can help them feel more safe and comfortable here at Gettysburg College.”
