Category Archives: Student Life & Well-being News

STUDENT LIFE & WELL-BEING NEWS

My Community Impact Project

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By: Sydney Shea, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-Being Leader 

At first, I was stumped when I got the initial assignment to create a community impact project. I knew I wanted to create something meaningful, but the possibilities felt endless. Journaling has been part of my daily life for a while now; it’s how I clear my mind, process my feelings, and stay grounded. It’s not fancy or complicated, but it’s made such a difference in how I manage stress and take care of my mental health. 

That’s how the idea for a wellness and stress relief journal came to life! I created a simple and approachable guide designed specifically for college students who might be feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or in need of a quiet moment to reflect.

The goal of my project was to give students a space to pause, reflect on their day, and process. Nothing complicated or overwhelming, just prompts that can fit into even the busiest of days. They include self-care reminders, mood tracking, and affirmations that can help you reflect on life. I created prompts based on the 8 dimensions of wellness since they are all crucial for our overall well-being! 

I created a digital version of the journal prompts for convenience. This way, students could utilize them at whatever time was best for them. It was really important to me that this resource be free and easy to access. People tend to shy away from journaling and similar activities due to intimidation and fear of starting something new. I wanted to show students how powerful it can be to just start. You don’t need a fancy app or a full-on program to make a difference. Sometimes, a blank page and a thoughtful question can go a long way and make a real impact on your day. 

I’m grateful this project gave me the chance to connect with my peers in a deeper way, and I’m even more excited to keep finding creative ways to support student well-being on campus.

Rage Spin Class

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By: Nosagiegbon Igiede, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-being Leader

Hello everyone, Sai here! I hope you’re all having a great day. I’m here to talk about physical and emotional wellness. 

Do you ever feel stressed and need to find a way to relieve it? Or do you want to get more physically active but don’t know how or where to start? Well, I have the perfect event for you!

In partnership with the Campus Recreation Center, spin instructor Aidan and I are hosting a “Rage Spin Class” on May 1st at 5:30pm. During this class, Aidan will not only guide you through the fundamentals of spin, but also introduce an engaging and enjoyable twist to the activity.

Here is how it will go:

  1. Arrive at the Campus Recreation Center. 
  2. Go to the second floor and find the room.
  3. Get settled and pick up a balloon.
  4. Write something on the balloon you want to let go of. It can be an emotion, memory, experience, etc.
  5. Partake in the spin class, feeling the emotions.
  6. When the class is done, pop your balloon and relieve yourself from any built-up stress or negative emotions.

This project is not only a take on physical health but also emotional health, allowing you to hold yourself accountable for your feelings. Being able to be angry, happy, upset, etc., are all valid emotions that need to be expressed, and having a safe outlet to do this can help with processing them over time. I hope to see you all there in May! 

– Sai

Satellite Serenity Center

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By: Madelyn Archambault, Francis College of Engineering Well-Being Leader

In the past month, I have been working towards opening a Serenity Center-like space on North Campus geared towards engineering and science students. This space was created with the support of the Office of Student Life & Well-being and the Francis College of Engineering. I am extremely excited to announce that the Satellite Serenity Center is now officially open! It is located in Falmouth 203-B (the conference room where the mechanical engineering adjunct professors are located). Each semester, the hours will be slightly different, but until the end of the Spring 2025 semester, this space will be open Mondays from 2-4 PM and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9-11 AM. 

So, what exactly is this new Satellite Serenity Center? After talking with many students, I realized that a lot of people don’t know about the Serenity Center, located on the 3rd floor of University Crossing. This space offers fidget toys, brain teasers, affirmation cards, coloring, and other activities to help support student well-being. The new Satellite Serenity Center on North campus, inspired by the Serenity Center, contains a lot of similar items, as well as study materials and formula sheets for a variety of foundational STEM classes at UML. 

Currently, the Satellite Serenity Center offers:

  • Coloring
  • Journaling 
  • Mind teasers
  • Fidget toys
  • Affirmation cards
  • Diffuser
  • Friendship bracelet kits
  • Study materials

The ultimate goal of the space is to support the well-being of students as best we can, using student input. For example, during the opening event for the space, we hosted Bounce the corgi, one of UML’s campus therapy dogs. We received lots of positive feedback from the event, and we are hoping to make these types of events a more regular occurrence on North Campus. If there is anything you would like to see added to the space, or if you have any ideas you’d like to share about what the space could become, please fill out this feedback survey: https://forms.gle/N6gYC41T1BumAyYk6.

For more information on the serenity center, visit  https://www.uml.edu/wellbeing/serenity-center/.

We hope to see you at the Satellite Serenity Center!

Finding Reasons to Smile

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By: Madelyn Archambault, Francis College of Engineering Well-Being Leader

Some days can feel really hard. The best advice that I have ever been given is to find a reason to smile everyday. It doesn’t have to be a big reason; it can be small things like personal victories or tiny accomplishments. Maybe you just finished a project or finally managed to clean a small corner of your room.

If you are having trouble finding a reason to smile or something to uplift your day, I have created a list of things, big and small, that personally make me smile. I hope they can brighten your day too. 

Animals: 

  1. A group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope. 
  2. Otters hold hands when they float.
  3. Squirrels help plant thousands of trees each year by forgetting where they leave their acorns.
  4. Cows have best friends. 
  5. A penguin is knighted in Norway.
  6. Every dog’s nose print is unique, just like fingerprints!
  7. Goats have accents by region.
  8. Dolphins have unique names for each other. 

Environmental News: 

  1. The EU recently released a new massive ocean protection project in Portugal.
  2. New eco friendly electric wallpaper is being trialed in Glasgow.
  3. In Scotland, herds of wild cattle are being reintroduced to help aid the environment. 
  4. Recent breakthroughs can help reduce materials used when creating batteries. 

UMass Lowell: 

  1. The Office of Student Life and Well-Being has created a Hope Garden on North Campus. It is located next to Lydon Library/Starbucks. 
  2. UML has taken on many projects focused on sustainability, and continuously works towards sustainability education.  

I hope reading this brought you some joy, and that every day you can find a reason to smile and achieve at least one small victory.

Financial Literacy- Fall 2022

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In Fall 2022, our office hosted a series of three workshops about different aspects of financial literacy! We started in October with a financial aid workshop. We discussed how to navigate FAFSA and financial aid.

In November, our second workshop’s theme was how to Manage Money Masterfully. This budgeting workshop reviewed paychecks, credit reports, how to set financial goals, and how to set up a personal budget.

Our financial literacy series concluded with our December workshop on Investing in Your Future. UMass Lowell alum John Molvar discussed investing and financial wellness after college. Topics included credit cards, stocks, and other investments.

Love Thyself- 12/14/23

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On Valentine’s Day 2023, our office partnered with the Association of Campus Events, Office of Multicultural Affairs, UMatter2, and the Rist Institute for Sustainability to host the Love Thyself Event!

With a different view on Valentine’s Day, our event focused on self love! Not only did this event promote emotional health with an emphasis on self-care, but many of the stations encouraged connectedness and community, promoting social health.

In the University Crossing Atrium, there were activities corresponding to each of the five love languages. Our office hosted a station to create your own vision board for Acts of Service.

Students were able to stuff a Valentine’s heart and spend some time coloring with ACE to represent Physical Touch and Quality Time respectively.

UMatter2 hosted a table with white boards for students to write positive Words of Affirmation.

The Rist Institute for Sustainability represented Gift-Giving with a bouquet making station.

In addition, OMA hosted another table for self-love for students who identify with the LGBTQ+ community.

Jennifer’s Run- 10/15/22

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On October 15th, 2022, our office hosted the annual Jennifer’s Run. We value physical and social health and this event is a prime example of both physical exercise and coming together as a community.

Jennifer’s Run is a 5K to commemorate Jennifer D’Amour, an extraordinary student-athlete, student leader, and staff member in the Office of Student Activities & Leadership who tragically lost her life in a car accident in 1999. The run also helps support scholarships for the Cross Country and Track & Field teams.

The 5k began at the Campus Recreation Center, ran through campus, and ended back at the CRC. Runners received a swag bad, a medal, t-shirt, and a shoe wallet for their participation.

Summary of Health Educational Intervention:

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Ella Zhu

Office of Student Life and Well-Being

Summary of Health Educational Intervention <You Are Healthy, And Beautiful>

5.30.2023

Project Overview

           <You Can Be Healthy, And Beautiful> is designed to provide all undergraduate and graduate students in the University of Massachusetts Lowell with the behavior change, skills, knowledge, and resources they need to reduce obesity and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Massachusetts is a state that focuses on education and offers many high-quality jobs. In this state with a strong humanistic culture, people are busy with studying and work every day, which shortens the time for exercise and saves time for meals by eating unhealthy fast food. Some people focus on their studies and careers, but they are careless of their health. Obesity rates are rising in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts (County Health Ranking, 2022). This educational-based program will address risk factors and equip our students with healthy behaviors that will reduce their risk of obesity and prevent long-term health complications. 

Project Background

           Obesity is an epidemic that has put strains on American families, affecting overall health, health care costs, productivity, and military readiness. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women (Faruque, S et al, 2019). For adults, the healthy BMI range is from 18.5 to 24.9, regardless of age or gender, and anything over this means you are considered overweight for your height (Zierle, 2021). For adults, overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25, and obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30 (WHO, 2022). In the United States, the average adult man has a BMI of 26.6 and the average adult woman has a BMI of 26.5 (CDC, 2022). Over the five years to 2022, 71.6% of adults aged 20 and over are overweight, including obesity (IBISWorld, 2022). The United States ranks 12th in the world for obesity (World Population Review, 2022). It has become a serious problem in the country. Obesity is defined as a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. (Mayo Clinic, Obesity 2021). It is a serious health complication because it is associated with worse health conditions, poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. It is also associated with the leading causes of death in the United States (CDC, Adult Obesity Causes & Consequences 2021).

               At a state level, Massachusetts has more than half of the adults being diagnosed with overweight or obesity. Obesity in Massachusetts is a concern. Both Blacks and Hispanics in the state are more likely than whites and Asian to be both overweight and obese. The obesity rate of Black people in Massachusetts is 34.7%, Hispanic is 32.6%, White is 24.0%. Whereas Asians are the least likely to be overweight or obese, which has a rate of 10.2% (America’s Health Ranking, 2021). The causes for obesity are a combination of individual factors such as genetics, eating habits, physical activity, income and environment, education, and food marketing (Mayo Clinic, Obesity 2021). Eating habits and Insufficient physical activities are the biggest causes of obesity for American college students (NICHD, 2022). Students gain weight when they eat more calories than they burn through activity. This imbalance is the greatest contributor to weight gain.

Problem Statement

           Emerging adulthood is a crucial phase for health, it is frequently paired with a shift towards unhealthy eating behaviors and physical inactivity, which in turn will lead to obesity or some negative health complications. Obesity is generally caused by eating unhealthy food and moving too little, also some social factors such as poverty (Fruh et al, 2017). Lasting unhealth-related behaviors are adopted and is a time when there is an increased risk for unhealthy weight gain, or it could contribute to the development of obesity and other life-threatening health conditions (Cawley et al 2021). College students are more vulnerable to adapting unhealthy behaviors due to the transition of an independent, self-reliant lifestyle (Frush et al, 2017). The phase of  young adulthood may be a critical developmental window for establishing weight gain prevention efforts, especially to increase the prevalence of obesity in the US. Obesity not only harms the body, it also increases anxiety and money consumption in young adults. Understanding healthy eating behavior and appropriate physical behavior during young adulthood will achieve a better life. Understanding of the modifiable factors which lead to obesity in this transitional life stage is important and essential  for the rest of lives. <You Can Be Healthy, and Beautiful > would be a  tailored intervention. 

Population Statement

         <You can be Healthy, and Beautiful> education program will focus on the population of all majors students in the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Lowell is a city alongside Cambridge, it is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. This year, the adult obesity rate in Middlesex County is 23%, and the physical inactivity rate is 22% (County Health Ranking, 2022). Compared to the 22% adult obesity rate and 19% physical inactivity rate in 2020, in the same geological area, it has an increase in both rates (County Health Ranking, 2020).  Another reason to focus on the Umass Lowell students is, poverty is a risk factor for obesity. The Income inequality in Middlesex County is 4.9% (County Health Ranking, 2022). Households in Lowell have a median annual income of $62,196, which is much less than the median annual income of $84,385 in the state of Massachusetts (United States Census Bureau, 2020). Lowell is home to two institutions of higher education. UMass Lowell, part of the University of Massachusetts system, has three campuses in the city. Middlesex Community College’s two campuses are in Lowell. This city has a strong humanities vibe and is affected by rich culture. Public Health workers have the responsibility to guide Lowell’s students in a healthy living track, encouraging the young people to stay away from obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to promote an obesity educational intervention that focuses on the population of Umass Lowell students.

Citations:

Faruque, S., Tong, J., Lacmanovic, V., Agbonghae, C., Minaya, D. M., & Czaja, K. (2019). The Dose Makes the Poison: Sugar and Obesity in the United States – a Review. Polish journal of food and nutrition sciences, 69(3), 219–233. https://doi.org/10.31883/pjfns/110735

Fruh S. M. (2017). Obesity: Risk factors, complications, and strategies for sustainable long-term weight management. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(S1), S3–S14. https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12510

Cawley, J., Biener, A., Meyerhoefer, C., Ding, Y., Zvenyach, T., Smolarz, B. G., & Ramasamy, A. (2021). Direct medical costs of obesity in the United States and the most populous states. Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy, 27(3), 354–366. https://doi.org/10.18553/jmcp.2021.20410

Massachusetts. Massachusetts – Place Explorer – Data Commons. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://datacommons.org/place/geoId/25?utm_medium=explore&mprop=income&popt=Person&cpv=age%2CYears15Onwards&hl=en

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/massachusetts/2020/rankings/middlesex/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot

Wellness Wednesdays – Serenity Center

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Gimp Making – Feb 1 

Students got to channel their inner childhood by making gimp. They got to pick their favorite colors and relearn all the fun gimp designs. Soft, warm pretzels were served, and students came together to make gimp and enjoy each other’s company.  

Journaling – Feb 8 

Students were able to journal to get connected to their inner selves in this workshop by creating their own journals. It was a very relaxing night for students to distress from early semester worries.  

Knitting – Feb 15 

We invited students to learn an easy intro to knitting design and create their own knit projects. Students came together to learn and help one another with knitting.  

Coloring – Feb 22 

Students joined us for quiet coloring with relaxing music. We had yummy snacks while students got to color in a coloring book, enjoying one another’s company.  

DIY Aromatherapy – March 1 

We hosted a DIY aromatherapy night. Students got to create their own aromatherapy blend with various essential oils. They got to create DIY roll ons to rub onto their wrists between four blends: sleep blend, happiness blend, focus blend, & calm blend. 

Meditation – March 15 

We hosted meditation sessions every 20 minutes for students to drop by and join in. It was a very successful event as students came to distress from the mid semester point and were able to channel their mind and body in a relaxing way. Students also looked over affirmation cards and wrote their own on sticky notes to hang up.  

Therapy Dogs – March 22 

Sookie, a therapy dog, came to visit the Serenity Center for this Wellness Wednesday. Over 50 students came by to relax and enjoy time with the dog. We provided fun bone shaped cookies for students to enjoy.  

Mindful Movement – March 29 

Students were able to practice gentle yoga poses that they can incorporate into their everyday routine.  

Sensory Event – April 5 

This event was created for Disability Inclusion Week. We hosted a sensory friendly night where we made bracelets and enjoyed some tea with soothing music. We had different textured food including popcorn, goldfish, Oreos, chocolate chips marshmallows, and raisins for students to enjoy.   

Mindful Eating – April 19 

Students joined us and our campus dietitian to learn to be more mindful when eating to appreciate the nourishment food provides.  
 
Gratitude Circle – April 26 

Students wrapped up the year with us in a circle of gratitude to help focus on the positives from this year. It was a great way to finish the semester of strong and allowed students to enjoy one’s company before the stress of finals.  

The 8 Dimensions of Wellness

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Final Capstone Project by Casey Tiernan

Before working for the office for Student Life and Well-being, if you had asked me about the 8 dimensions of wellness, I would look at you puzzled. Now, I can easily describe each one in detail with ways you can maintain that specific dimension in your daily life. I had the opportunity to work and create my capstone with the office. The office of Student Life and Wellbeing identified emotional health, environmental health, physical health, social health, spiritual health, financial health, occupational health, and intellectual health as the 8 dimensions of wellness. Each one is important in order to address and maintain the needs of students at UMass Lowell. As a public health major, the 8 dimensions of wellness are very important to me. I want to use my degree for health education and health promotion so this opportunity to work for the Office of Student Life and Wellbeing was perfect for me.

As an intern, I was given creative freedom to design a project that the office would use for the future that could be given out to students. I created a brochure with general knowledge about the 8 dimensions of wellness as well as one way they can maintain each one on campus. I used the office colors and logos to tie everything together. I also created a flyer for each of the 8 dimensions with the definition that the office uses for each (on their website), additional campus resources and websites, and other ways they can maintain their wellbeing such as apps. Once I had designed everything, I pilot tested my project with students who signed up via the Instagram page. I sent out a survey looking for constructive feedback to then adjust anything that needed to be adjusted. I got great feedback from students which made me feel like I made a difference and expanded their knowledge on the different dimensions. The office passed along my project to the STARS team to also use with students. Knowing that my work will be used, and students will get to see it for years to come, makes me extremely happy. I am so grateful to have been able to intern for the office and get to use my creativity and public health skills.