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Wellness Center Programs around Diversity and Women’s Issues

Eating Disorders

Each year, Peer Educators have an outreach in February around National ED Awareness Week.  In the 2005-2006 academic year, the Wellness Center sponsored a special speaker in Chapel/Time Out and made that speaker available for private appointments.

The Wellness Center has experimented with a variety of means of reaching students on this crucial issue. Two-three times a year the head of the Wellness Center is asked to speak in a class in this regard.  She has developed a video/Power Point presentation on this crucial issue for young college-age women. In addition, for the past few years panel discussions have also been held in the residence halls; the panels have included the Wellness Center director and students that are recovering. A visual exhibit/presentation was also developed and displayed in a large public meeting area right next to the cafeteria.

Date Rape/Violence Toward Women

The director of the Wellness Center and the Associate Vice President for Student Development participate with the San Diego County District Attorney's office in disseminating material in regard to date rape. In addition, presentations are done each year for Peers on rape and violence toward women with videos and special speakers.

Last year a special speaker on violence toward women (facilitated in cooperation with Linda Beail of Women's Studies) spoke during Peer training in a session open to all the campus. Finally, in cooperation with Public Safety and Women's Studies, self-defense information is presented to Peers during their training; this same information is made available to the whole student body through Wellness Wednesdays, a time when the Wellness Center set up an information table in a highly traveled area of the cafeteria.

Self Image

For the last two years, the Center has facilitated a discussion on self-image in cooperation with the residence halls and with Spiritual Development. Currently counseling interns are trying to offer workshops on this issue. Although attendance has been low, we have much anecdotal information to indicate that this is an important issue for young women.

Specific Details

Jim Coil, our Outreach Coordinator has worked with our Peer Educators and Wellness Wednesdays to address many diversity topics.

Peer Educators – Group of 45-50 students who serve as extensions of the Wellness Center to the student community.  They are trained in listening skills, referral skills, intervention skills, diversity/sensitivity training, and educated in numerous issues of Wellness that pertain to this specific population. 

Wellness Wednesday – An outreach program presented in Nicholson Dining Hall every Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  Topics are coordinated with the Wellness Center bulletin board and posters/brochures distributed into the Residence Halls.

The topics addressed include:

  1. Diversity in general – Wellness Wednesday presentation 04/05 – Diversity Beans.
  2. Speaker to Peer Educators – Jacqueline Escalante and Kim Bogan addressing diversity issues. 04/05
  3. Women specific issues – Eating Disorder programming 04/05, 05/06 – Peer Educator distribution of brochures in residence halls, Wellness Wednesday presentations. Past years include presentation of Room with a View in the Piano Lounge of Nicholson Dining Hall – On loan from Healthy Within, an Eating Disorder Facility in La Jolla.
  4. Chapel Speaker on Body Image and Eating Disorders – Becky Harling sponsored by the Wellness Center – 05/06.
  5. Panels on Body Image and Eating Disorders – Residence Halls last three years.
  6. Presentations in Classrooms (Contemporary Health, Nursing, Family and Consumer Science) on body image and Eating Disorders –numerous over many years by Director of the Wellness Center/Health Services Director.
  7. Sexual Assault and Rape Prevention – Peer Educator training and Wellness Wednesday outreach programming last 4 years.
  8. Speakers from Erase The Dark – Organization founded by young college men for education about sexual assault, degradation of women, and men’s responsibility for treating women with respect.  Panels in residence halls, Peer Educator training for the last 4 years.
  9. Women’s Health / Men’s Health – Addressed in brochures, Peer Educator training, Wellness Wednesday outreaches, and residence hall programming over the last 4 years: Topics include, but are not limited to the following:  breast cancer, cervical, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, and routine medical checkups regarding relevant female and male medical/physical concerns.   
  10. Pregnancy Issues – Worked with Sylvia Cortez of Spiritual Development and Bill Morrell of Residential Life to develop a pregnancy policy which outlines the supportive role that our three departments utilize when working with a pregnant student.  Reviewed with Peer Educators, LEAD students and during NSO presentation to increase awareness among students that there is support available versus the common myth of dismissal from the university.
  11. HIV/AIDS Awareness – Programming, chapel speakers, AIDS Quilt on campus, Peer Educator training, Classroom presentations – Since mid 80’s this issue has been addressed by Health Services and now the Wellness Center.