Week of Wellness

Published October 16, 2019
By Jane Close Conoley

The Beach is home to people with a multitude of different abilities, backgrounds, viewpoints, and identities. I am endlessly proud that we are the kind of university that attracts students, faculty, and staff who mirror the extraordinary diversity of our region, country, and world. But I am, perhaps, even prouder of our efforts to create environments that enable everyone in this diverse campus community to thrive.

With our long history of supporting students in challenging circumstances, CSULB is working hard to address the current college mental-health crisis. As the number of college students – on our campus and throughout the country – seeking help with mental-health issues continues to rise, we recognize the essential role of health and wellness promotion in ensuring academic and life success, and we are committed to taking a more active, holistic, and multidisciplinary approach to supporting the physical and mental health of our students.

Over the past year, we have worked steadily to expand and enhance our efforts in this area, most notably by:

  • Increasing mental-health training for faculty and staff;
  • Developing a peer-educator program for students;
  • Increasing partnerships with county and community agencies;
  • Addressing financial-, food-, and housing-insecurity issues through the Basic Needs Program; and
  • Engaging the entire campus community in continuing mental-health and wellness discussions, including our mental- and student-health summits, as well as our upcoming campus-wide Wellness Week (October 21 – 25).

Wellness Week (see full schedule) kicks off on Monday with a campus-wide Mental Health Town Hall (RSVP here) and concludes on Friday with the inaugural gathering of the Wellness Advisory Board, a student group that will continue to meet on a quarterly basis to provide the university with input and guidance on matters pertaining to student wellness.

I want to thank Vice President Mary Ann Takemoto and the entire Student Affairs team for their strong leadership. I am also grateful for Dean Monica Lounsbery's and Professor Bita Ghafoor's significant contributions. I also want to emphasize that each member of our campus community has a role to play in normalizing conversations around mental health, in raising awareness about resources available on and off campus, and in making sure that all members of the Beach family feel cared for and supported.

Thank you for helping us create a healthier Beach!

Sincerely,

Jane