William Magee Center Inaugurates Student Wellness Fair at University of Mississippi
The William Magee Center at the University of Mississippi recently invited university students to its inaugural Student Wellness Fair. The event took place at the South Campus Recreation Center on Wednesday, April 10, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., where students were offered various health and wellness resources.
Highlight on Student Wellness
According to Shannon Richardson, the assistant director of the William Magee Center, the goal of this wellness event was to highlight the resources catering specifically to students’ health needs. This included not just on-campus resources, but also those available off-campus.
Rising the excitement for this initiative, she said, “This event gathers multiple departments and organizations under one roof to help students understand their best resource for improving any aspect of their wellness, be it, physical, mental, emotional, or financial.”
Interactive Booths and Goodies
The fair was a collective effort sponsored by the University Counseling Center, University Health Services, and the GROVE Initiative. It was a first-of-its-kind event planned by the William Magee Center’s staff, focusing on student’s good health and overall wellness.
The event included some exciting delights as well. Richardson expressed her eagerness to try the nutritious food samples on offer and see the different ways each booth engaged with students. There was also a special guest, Richardson’s service dog, to provide mental health soothing through petting for students.
As well as the interactive booths, there were free health screenings, and giveaways. Richardson believes that students attending this fair would find it useful to learn more about what the campus offers for their overall well-being.
Taking Wellness Seriously
Katherine Leblanc, a Sophomore allied health studies and interdisciplinary studies major, shed light on why focusing on wellness is important for students. She explained, “Amid the hustle and stress of college, we often sideline wellness when, actually, it needs to be at the forefront.” Leblanc also discussed the quite common health problems among college students, like not eating enough or lacking proper sleep due to excessive studying, which can eventually lead to serious health issues.
Leveraging the opportunity, she stressed on the importance of keeping wellness as a priority, stating, “If not taken care of their wellness appropriately, students might not achieve their best shape and might struggle with their academic performance.”
Riding on the success of this inaugural event, the organizers of the Student Wellness Fair are hopeful that this will become a regular event in the university’s future.
