Category Archives: Environmental
Environmental wellness is an awareness of the state of the earth and the effects of your daily habits on the physical environment. It consists of maintaining a way of life that maximizes harmony with the earth and minimizes harm to the environment. It includes being involved in socially responsible activities to protect the environment. Although you may feel a bit overwhelmed with the numerous environmental issues, every little change you make does count. If everyone made individual adjustments in their life, the impact on the environment would be great.
UND launches new webpage as resource to help students in distress
College. Highlights for most students include meeting new friends, getting involved on campus and becoming socially engaged.
While college is a wonderful time for most students, some students may struggle. Distressed students may initially seek assistance from faculty, staff members, their parents and other students. They may be found in the classroom, at home or within residence halls.
UND Cares is a webpage that was created as a resource guide for parents, staff, faculty and students because UND cares about distressed students or students in need. The webpage can be used to gather information about campus resources, make referrals, and demonstrate how to help each other in time of need.
The webpage also helps students, faculty, staff and parents learn about the professional support se
rvices available to students on campus through the Dean of Students and University Counseling Center. Both are available to provide consultation about providing a student with the help that he or she may need.
“Sometimes we may be concerned about a student, a friend or a loved one and we don’t know what to do or who to call,” said Cara Halgren, UND associate vice president and dean of students. “If you are concerned about someone in our community, please call us. We can help.”
According to the UND 2012 American College Health Association – National College Heath Assessment, in the past year:
- 21.3 percent of UND students felt so depressed it was difficult to function.
- 6 .9 percent seriously considered suicide.
- 1.5 percent attempted suicide.
- More than 1 in 4 students indicated that stress interfered with their academic success.
Amberkay Crotts (left), a student employee, and Napoleon Andriopoulos, Ph.D., psychology resident and UND staff psychologist, discuss issues related to student stress in the UND Counseling Center inside McCannel Hall.
Stress has been the No. 1 academic impact cited by UND students since the survey was started in 2000, according to the Dean of Students office.
Identifying warning signs of distress is the first step in knowing how to help. These can include:
- Significant changes in daily activities.
- Cut off or minimized contact with family or friends.
- Significant changes in performance or involvement in academics, sports, extracurricular or social activities.
- Problems that result from experiences with drinking or drugs.
- Withdrawn, volatile, tearful or emotional behavior
- Acting out of character
- Talking explicitly about hopelessness or suicide
- Difficulty in concentrating or carrying on normal conversation
- Excessive dependence on others for company or support
- feeling out of control in regard to emotions, thoughts or behaviors
“At least one-tenth of the student population finds their way through our doors. Maybe they were encouraged, maybe they heard about the Counseling Center. Whatever brought them to us, the counseling center is here for you or someone you care about,” said Myron Veenstra, director of the UND Counseling Center.
Amberkay Crotts (left) student employee, and Lisa Moore, administrative assistant, serve to welcome students and others in the UND community to the Counseling Center inside McCannel Hall.
Services at the UND Counseling Center are free and confidential for enrolled students.
“College can take a while to adjust to; it’s nice knowing that there are people out there that truly care about the hardships you are going through,” said UND student Kyle See-Rockers, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
The University of North Dakota has tools to help identify students with those warning signs. It’s important to know where to direct them for help. UND Cares can help improve a college career and even save a life.
“The safety and overall well-being of our campus is a responsibility that is shared by all university community members,” Eric Plummer, UND director of public safety and chief of police. “ Remember if you see something, say something in order for us to work together to make an exceptional UND.”
UND hosts two nationally renowned experts on campus-community alcohol and other drug issues
An Exceptional UND enriches the entire student experience, both inside the classroom
and out. High-risk alcohol and other drug use can compromise student health and wellness and
therefore, student learning. It’s important that we understand what all of us can do as a campus
community to help students make healthy choices. Conversations like this can help.
- Dr. Steve Light, UND Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
and Dr. Lori Reesor, Vice President for Student Affairs
The University of North Dakota is hosting two nationally renowned experts on campus-community alcohol and other drug issues, Dr. Jason Kilmer and Linda Major, for a series of presentations/open forums. We invite you to learn about what works for other campuses and be a part of the conversation on alcohol and other drug issues at UND.
Student Conversation
Sunday, April 28th, 6:30 p.m.
Memorial Union Badlands Room
Pizza will be served.
Campus Community (faculty, staff, and students) Presentation/Conversation
Monday, April 29, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Swanson 10-12
Light lunch provided at 11:45 a.m. Presentation begins at noon.
Faculty Presentation/Conversation
Monday, April 29th, 4:00 p.m.
Memorial Union Badlands Room
Community Presentation/Conversation
Monday, April 29th, 7:00 p.m.
Grand Forks City Hall Council Chambers, 255 N 4th Street
Linda Major and Jason Kilmer
Linda Major currently serves as Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Director for the Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she is responsible for coordinating a comprehensive approach to address high-risk behaviors on the campus and in the community. Dr. Jason Kilmer currently works at the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and serves as an investigator on several studies evaluating prevention and intervention efforts for alcohol and other drug use by college students.
These events are sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Health and Wellness Unit, Healthy UND Alcohol and Other Drugs Committee, UND Athletics, Dean of Students Office, Greek Life, Residence Services, and the University Police Department. The community presentation is sponsored by the City of Grand Forks, the Grand Forks Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and the University of North Dakota. For additional information contact the Health & Wellness Hub at 701.777.2097 or und.hwhub@email.und.edu
Recycle!
Dimension: Environmental
Activity: Recycle
Sunday, February 17th
For this activity the we had to keep track of bottle tops from plastic bottle tops we had used and recycled, to seehow many bottles were being saved from the land fill. This event was kindof difficult for me because I just use a Camelbak water bottle all the time and I don’t drink pop or much of anything but water. However, it worked out that my boyfriend was visiting me the weekend of this event and he is a big gatorade drinker, so I made sure he recycled his bottles and I stole his tops. I am really happy that they had this as an event because I am a strong believer in recycling. It irritates me everytime when I see people throwing a large stack of paper away when the recycling can is right next to the garbage can. It also irritates me when people don’t use both sides of a paper, for example when people print. I wish people would realize that they could save so many pieces of paper if they printed on both sides. When I tell people they should I always get the same excuse that they don’t know how. I think that something our University could do to change this matter is by placing by each computer in the library and the Union an instruction sheet of how to print on both sides. I come from a very small town and we don’t even have recycling, but I still make family recycle. For us to do this we have to drive it about an hour away to a city where they have a recycling plant. As far as plastic goes, it scares me that throughout the world we approximately throw away 1500 bottles every second. These plastic bottles take 700 years just to start decomposing and up to 1000 years to fully decompose. At what point are we not going to have any room for all of our waste? I am happy that the University has a pretty strong recycling program, so I hope that students take advantage of that.
recycling bottle tops!
Dimension: Environmental
Activity: Save plastic bottle tops to keep track of how many bottles are saved from the landfill.
Activity Calendar Date: February 17
I collected plastic bottle tops for a couple of weeks to complete this wellness dimension. I do not drink much pop, and I rarely have bottled pop. Also, I take advantage of the filtered water fountains around campus to keep my water bottle full. Therefore, my bottle tops came mainly from my empty milk jugs and bottle caps that I removed from plastic bottles in recycle containers on campus. I brought in a couple dozen caps to the Wellness Hub.
Completing the environmental dimension completed my Pursuit of Wellness Challenge. Completing each activity and reflecting on each activity in this blog have helped me to think more critically about each area of wellness as it applies to my life and to the community around me.
Recycling at UND
Activity: Recycle Today! Keep track of the plastic bottle tops to see how many bottles were saved from the land fill! (Bring Bottle tops into HUB)
Sunday, February 17th
Even though this event was on Sunday, the Health & Wellness HUB in the union is only open weekdays 8am-4:30pm at Memorial Union. To receive the WOW you had to bring in bottle tops of bottles you recycled. Since I use a water bottle I brought in bottle tops that weren’t as healthy as I would like (coca cola) that I have from time to time especially during busy exam weeks. I really do enjoy how much the university has recycling containers, especially the big one they have outside of my apartment. This really encourages me to recycle as it’s so much easier than how it was in Wyoming by having to separate everything out and break everything down. It was also pretty cool to check out the H&W HUB as I am a physical therapy student and it’s nice to know there are additional health related resources.
DONE WITH 7 EVENTS! I definitely want to check out meditation next week as I’m sure I’ll need a chance to clear my mind since I have quite a few exams.
Environmental
Environmental
Spring Involvement Fair
Wednesday, January 16
I had already attended the fall involvement fair so I had a very good idea of what to expect from the spring version. I was very excited to look at all of the booths and clubs available on campus. I was looking to get involved with some new clubs because I have more time to devote to “fun” things this semester. The spring involvement fair was held in the ball room at the Union. There were about five isles of tables that have a different club or organization with its own unique poster board that tells people what their club is about. `There was another row or tables that was completely devoted to volunteering or volunteer opportunities. At almost every table they lure people in with the promise of candy or food; a tactic that is vary successful. many people go just for the candy or pizza but most people do eventually find an organization or club that interests them. Many of the organizations listed events such as service/ volunteer opportunities around the community all with the goal of improving the community and the surrounding environment. I did sign up for a volunteer day with the organization DO WORK. I think by setting time aside in my scheduled to go out into the community and improve the community for the residence will give me a sense of fulfillment. I personally love being outside and studying outside, but I love to be in a clean environment. Having a sense of fulfillment and being able to enjoy the environment I think will help me to be more focused when I an studying outside. . Having a fun break in my academic life such as going out with a club will make me more happier while I am at college.
Are You in the Pursuit of Better Grades?!…
Are you in the pursuit for better grades?! Well, it’s that time of year again…The Pursuit of Wellness is coming to campus once again January 9th! The Pursuit of Wellness is a game designed for UND students to learn the correlation between wellness and academic success. Students will be encouraged to participate in a variety of existing campus activities, all of which connect to at least one of the 7 dimension.
The Pursuit of Wellness will be played from January 9th – February 27th. Students can complete the game at their own pace by picking what days and what activities they want to participate in.
Incentives will be placed throughout the game for encouraged participation among UND students. Winners of the prizes, including the winner of the ULTIMATE POW Challenge will be announced at the Wellness Expo at the UND Student Wellness Center on February 27th.
Students will have 7 weeks to attempt to receive all 7 WOW’s. There will be several chances to earn a WOW from each of the 7 Dimensions, featuring an activity from a different dimension every day, of each week. At each activity, students will ASK for a Wristband of Wellness, referred to as a “WOW,” indicating that they fulfilled one of their 7 Dimensions (e.g. Red WOW = Physical; Yellow WOW= Intellectual; Green WOW = Environmental; Indigo WOW = Social; Purple WOW = Spiritual; Blue WOW = Occupational; Orange WOW = Emotional). Don’t forget to ASK!
Add your activity or event to the game board.
Submit your application for your activity to be included in the Pursuit of Wellness Challenge. Fill out this event submission form (www.UND.edu/health-wellness/pursuit)and return it to Karina Wittmann or mail to STOP 8365, Attn: Karina Wittmann for your event to be considered. All applications must be submitted by December 14th, 2012.
Healthier Winter
Are you sick of waking up with a lingering cough during the winter that just won’t go away? What about the spontaneous sore throat that keeps you on cough drops like they are gobstoppers? I think I have a trick that will help you strengthen your immune system to keep you feeling healthy. Exercise.
In my previous blog I stated the benefits of exercise dealing slightly with mental health, but exercise will also help strengthen your immune system if you are exercise properly. A moderate-Intensity workout will give you the best results for keeping you healthy. Over working out will actually weaken your system, so be careful.
If you are like most of us and have a hard time getting to the gym during the cold winter months, focus on seasonal activities where you get a minimal of 30min of exercise a day. Here are some ideas:
- Ice Skating: With plenty of rinks around spend part of your afternoon skating, whether is it playing hockey, with friends, or with a boyfriend or girlfriend (great cheap date).
- Sledding: Yes, sledding can still be fun as a college student. Anyone who has gone before knows the physical strength it takes to get up the hill time after time.
- Cross-country Skiing: Right at the Wellness Center are cross country trails during the winter months, don’t be afraid to try it out. It is a lot of fun skiing with a group of people and is very easy to learn! (these will be available mid-January snow accumulation dependent of course)
Make it a goal for yourself this winter to keep your blood pumping and to continue to get your physical activity in. Not only will it increase endurance it will also help build your immune system.
See ya around UND!
Let’s work together to make UND Tobacco Free!
November 15, 2012 marks the 37th annual Great American Smokeout. The event is nationally recognized and held on the third Thursday in November each year. Started by the American Cancer Society, the event challenges tobacco users to abstain from tobacco for the day or plan in advance to quit smoking that day. More recently, the event has been expanded to promote awareness and compliance with tobacco free policies as well as enhance awareness of quit tobacco resources.
How can you show your support?
(1) Come to the Health and Wellness Hub in the Memorial Union on Tuesday November 13 and Wednesday November 14 to pick up a FREE T-shirt (while supplies last) with a commitment to wear it on Thursday. T-shirts will be given to those willing to speak to TEN other individuals about UND’s tobacco free policy and quit tobacco options utilizing the resources provided to them.
(2) Contact a Tobacco Prevention Coordinator (contact information below) to sign up to volunteer for at least a ½ hour on Thursday November 15th from 11 am – 1 pm. Go to various locations around campus and hand out mints attached to business cards which outline the policy OR hand out thank you cards to those individuals following UND’s tobacco free policy.
(3) Follow UND’s tobacco free policy
(4) Quit tobacco (for the day or for life!)
Keep your eyes peeled for outreach booths throughout the week and the many others supporting the Great American Smokeout by wearing Proud to be…Tobacco Free UND t-shirts!
For more information about UND’s tobacco free policy and quit tobacco options, please visit UND.edu/tobaccofree or stop in the Health and Wellness Hub in the Memorial Union and pick up a Quit Kit!
Mark your calendars for November 15 and join the movement to be tobacco free!
If you have any questions, or want to get involved contact Julia Geigle, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator or contact Emmanuel Adjei Boateng, Tobacco Prevention GSA at 701-777-2097.
