Shippensburg University held its annual Fresh Check Day in the CUB Great Hall last Tuesday, with numerous booths where students could learn about topics related to mental health.
The event included more than 20 tables, as well as food and drinks, therapy dogs and giveaways.
Fresh Check Day is a national program of the Jordan Porco Foundation aimed at promoting mental health and suicide prevention in an accessible atmosphere for students. University staff and campus clubs came together to help make the event a success.
Shippensburg University Director of Wellness Kurt Dunkel was the leader in organizing this event, and this event has been a success on campus for many years. Dunkel noted the success, saying, “We create more booths than most schools. We draw on off-campus resources and also work with different faculty members.
The event covered topics such as positive affirmations, speaking up for others, recognizing drug use, healthy living, exercise and much more. Several groups outside the university also had tables, including the Drew Michael Taylor Foundation and the Mental Health Association of Franklin and Fulton Counties.
Several campus clubs had tables at the event, including Multicultural Student Affairs, the Department of Military Science and the PAGE Center. Other campus organizations were also present, such as the Advising Center and First Year Experience Program.
Most of the stations were student-run, with Dunkel praising everyone involved and noting psychology professor Amber Norwood’s group saying, “Dr. Norwood’s class has six different tables, all run by her students, and they bring together messages, resources and takeaways. It’s a great partnership between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
The majority of tables were interactive for students, and notable booths included making handprints to symbolize calling out to those in need, as well as writing negative thoughts and affirmations on paper before putting them immediately into a shredder. Students could also register to enter prizes by visiting five interactive booths.
Dunkel believed the theme of the event was working together within a community. “It’s best to approach mental health as a community,” he said. “We should take time throughout the day to really learn about ourselves and our mental health, as well as others.”
The event will continue annually on campus in the future, with Dunkel seeing room for growth. Speaking about current students, he said: “Your generation is more open to talking about mental health. Our campus is more accepting and open, and we have a close-knit campus where people are working on this topic in different ways.
