White Paper Report. . Student COuncil. Safety and Wellness committee. University of Virginia

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1 2015 White Paper Report University of Virginia. Student COuncil Safety and Wellness committee

2 Table of contents overview Co-Chairs Scope Past Initatives current initiatives The safety and wellness committee is a group of committed members who focus on promoting and strengthenng safety and wellness.

3 Overview The Safety and Wellness Committee is a group of committed members who focus on promoting and strengthening safety and wellness in the University community. While several committee members are involved in many groups around grounds that advocate safety and wellness initiatives, the majority of our members are not; they actively seek to improve and disseminate information about student safety resources and to improve the resources available to students. The Co-Chairs Rachel Murphy Rachel Murphy is a fourth year majoring in Government with a minor in Spanish and a certificate candidate for UVa s TESOL Program. She is excited to make the Safety & Wellness committee an accessible resource for collaboration of health-related CIOs around Grounds. Outside of StudCo she teaches Sunday School St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and is the Social Media Chair of Kappa Delta Sorority. Becca Vang Becca Vang is a third year majoring in Global Public health. Outside of StudCo she is a member of RUF, volunteers for the PB&J Fund and is the Sisterhood Chair of her sorority. She is really excited about collaborating with the different health-related CIOs to make UVa a safer place Student COuncil

4 Contact Information If you have any questions or want to make a request, use the following contact information. Rachel Murphy: rpm4cu@virginia.edu Becca Vang: rmv4nh@virginia.edu Members: Madlyn Kimlick, Nazar Aljassar, Ben Webel, Emma Katovitz General Purpose The Safety and Wellness Committee is a group of committed members who focus on promoting and strengthening safety and wellness in the University community. While several committee members are involved in many groups around grounds that advocate safety and wellness initiatives, the majority of our members are not; they actively seek to improve and disseminate information about student safety resources and to improve the resources available to students. Past Initiatives Safety and wellness forum A forum hosted each semester which brings together student leaders from all of U.Va. s safety- and wellness-related CIOs. The goal is to encourage inter-cio collaboration and awareness so they may better pool resources and address shared goals. Each CIO gives a 5 minute presentation about their organization. This is followed by small group discussions moderated by members of the S&W Committee. SAFE day Our Safety Awareness Food Extravaganza (SAFE) Day is an annual event aimed at introducing first years to safety- and wellness-related organizations on Grounds and in the greater Charlottesville area Student Council 4

5 panel of professors: an interdisciplinary discussion of student mental health Mental well-being is a complex topic, influenced by biological, social, and cultural factors. What does it mean to be mentally ill or well? What unique challenges (and opportunities) do college students face in this area? How do U.Va. students deal with issues of mental health? This event brought together UVa professors, administrators, and other specialists to address these questions. Members included Tim Davis (Director of CAPS), Carrie Douglass (Anthropology), Robert Emery (Psychology), Adriana Vito (Associate Dean of Students), and Dr. Pamela Ross (ER physician). Audience members were encouraged to bring their own questions for the Q&A portion of the event. You can view the local news coverage of the event here! global health week: mental health day Last year the Safety and Wellness committee worked with the Center for Global Health Student Advisory Board on their Global Health Week initiative in September. Our main role was to photograph and talk to student body members about what mental health means to them. These responses were formatted as the mental health awareness version of we are all UVA and was shared through various social media platforms to get conversations started around Grounds about mental health issues and services provided here in Charlottesville. wellness week An annual event of wellness related activities put on each year. Each day of the week sponsors a different activity: Mindfulness Monday (free fitness classes), Take Care Tuesday (bike safety, testing for STIs), Wellness Wednesday (free fitness classes, Foxfield ticket giveaway), Throwback Thursday (American Red Cross mini cardio challenges), Foxfield Friday (safe drinking with ADAPT and active bystander training with StepUp). The sexual misconduct awareness, recovery, and tangible change (SMART) resolution Our committee worked closely with University administrators, Student Council s Executive Board, UVA Sexual Assault Coalition and other University student groups to address issues of concern relating to the University s Sexual Misconduct policies and procedures Student COuncil

6 Cuurent initiatives Remembrance through action Remembrance Through Action is an event that works to honor the tragedies of the past by preparing ourselves for a safe future. It is a resource and exhibition event that connects UVa Students with the safety resources available to them through the school as well as the greater Charlottesville area Student Council 6