Flu shots, beginner boot camp and make-your-own stress balls are some of the events that will be offered during Wellness Week at USFSP. The three-day event, which begins Oct. 25, returns to campus every spring and fall semester during a particularly taxing time of year—mid-semester.
“[Wellness Week] tends to be when students feel really stressed,” said Leila Durr, a psychologist at the Health and Wellness Center.
The focus of Wellness Week this semester will be on stress relief, and aims to show students alternative, healthy ways to deal with stress.
“Boot Camp for Beginners” will be led by instructors from the fitness center, which “introduces the value of doing exercise to de-stress,” Durr said.
The exercise hour starts at 11 a.m. on Harborside Lawn and students should bring a towel or mat, comfortable clothes and water.
Another addition to Wellness Week is the presence of the Clothesline Project. Durr said it will be “hard to miss” the Clothesline Project on display at Harborside lawn on Oct. 26. The Clothesline Project comes from Community Action Stops Abuse—C.A.S.A.—a domestic violence center based in St. Petersburg.
The display will feature a clothesline draped with shirts illustrated by people affected directly or indirectly by domestic abuse. Some shirts convey empowerment, while others show pain.
“They tend to be really powerful or intense,” Durr said. “The ones made by kids are more heart wrenching at times.”
The Clothesline Project will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Oct. 27, the wellness staff will have a table set up for assembling stress balls at the Harborwalk fountain. A tutorial will be provided along with materials—balloons and sand.
In addition to scheduled events, health services will be provided for students during Wellness Week.
Flu vaccines will be administered in the Davis Lobby on Oct. 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. With health insurance the vaccine is free, for students without coverage it’s a $29.99 fee.
Youth Education Services will be offering free HIV Screening tests Thursday in Bayboro Hall. Students can show up to room 117 for a cotton swab test. Results will be available within weeks. Testing will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Wellness Screenings, a survey done with paper and pencil, will be offered on two days: Tuesday, Oct. 25 at the Bayboro Breezeway from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Harborwalk fountain from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Students can check out the Clothesline display as little or as much as they want,” Durr said. “And I mean, how long does it take to make a stress ball?”
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