UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is connecting its health and wellness initiatives to foster more comprehensive conversations about wellness and students.
In the 2022 spring semester, the Health and Wellness Student Advisory Board was created to combine and expand the impact of the University’s three major health and wellness resources – Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), University Health Services (UHS) and Health Promotion and Wellness.
“We wanted to reduce the number of advisory boards that student organizations were asked to serve on and we wanted to develop a more efficient process for obtaining student guidance,” said Linda LaSalle, director of the Health Promotion and Wellness unit. “We hope this combined approach will also lead to increased opportunities for collaboration, based on student input, across the three units.”
The goal of this collaboration is to provide the Student Affairs health and wellness units with guidance about related programs and initiatives.
“We are especially interested in seeking input on current mental and physical health services and initiatives, including, but not limited to, sexual health, substance abuse and wellness programming,” LaSalle said. “[We will also be focused on] obtaining student input about prevention-focused activities to support wellness and well-being… and discussing how to better promote and engage students in current services and programs.”
The board consists of students from organizations like the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC), the Panhellenic Council, Lion Caucus, the Blue and White Society, and the Campus Recreation Student Advisory Board. According to LaSalle, these groups meet at least one time per semester “to discuss key issues, services and programs related to student health and wellness at University Park.”
Natalie Hernandez DePalma — the senior director of CAPS — said the three units “are thrilled to collaborate with students” and build the program.
“We are excited to engage with the student board about how we can more effectively promote services and programs to students and connect with students in prevention-focused activities designed to support their well-being,” DePalma said.
There are 20 students serving on the board, with new members being accepted on a rolling basis. Students interested in getting involved can send an email to promotinghealth@psu.edu. There are no term limits in place, but a student’s involvement is partially determined by their role in the organization that is represented on the board.