Future Facilities Overview

Support for a Healthy, Balanced Lifestyle for Our Students THE WELLNESS CENTER AT UCSD

Contact Jerry Phelps, PhD for more information at (858) 822-2614 or [email protected]

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO  9500 Gilman Drive  La Jolla, CA 92093-0509 I n the Internet age, students are being raised in a world of nearly instantaneous access to information and ideas. The “whole person” concept of student development that University of California, San Diego wishes to promote will be more successful with young people if we integrate and make readily accessible a variety of ways to meet their multiple needs for mind, body and spirit.

Our emphasis must be on access to integrated wellness and connection to their new community. Access to prevention as well as treatment must be delivered in ways that appeal to young people, and in the media they use.

PROPOSAL: A BALANCED APPROACH TO INTEGRATING MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT

Today we know more about what keeps a college student healthy, focused and motivated, and what we can do to help foster behaviors and relationships that nurture mind, body and spirit.

Of course, no single model fits all. Therefore, our goal is to create a Wellness Center of multiple resources to meet the physical, psychological, spiritual, ethical, social and nutritional needs of a diverse student population. These resources begin with Internet and web-based tools and information linking the various components of campus dedicated to health and wellbeing.

These tools will draw in our information-age students:

o Online wellness assessments o Podcasts of lectures, relaxation tapes, etc. o Students and health professional blogs o User generated content on wellness o Videos of wellness topics

Students will be drawn to the physical Wellness Center through on-line signups for classes, assessments and drop-in wellness activities such as mindful meditation and nutrition classes. Our students will be able to put their wellness goals into action in a centralized location, where complementary physical and programmatic resources are marshaled under one roof. By locating the a multidisciplinary team of professionals here, services will be collaboratively developed, provided and evaluated in an efficient and effective manner – a team approach integrated with broader student life initiatives supporting personal development, academics and career advancement.

STUDENTS CRAVE CONNECTION AND MEANING

Across the nation there has been a rise in the number of students entering with or experiencing psychological challenges while in college; these trends are evident at UC San Diego.

In an annual report published by the International Association of Counseling Services, Robert P. Gallagher, author and professor at the University of Pittsburgh, says the majority of students who commit suicide on campus, a rising trend, “have never sought out counseling,” says Gallagher. “Campuses need to do more to reach out to students and help them not be fearful.”

In a recent report by the University of California Student Mental Health Committee reported that the “increasing demand and declining capacity for mental heath services pose a threat to the learning environment.” Among their recommendations was a comprehensive institutional approach to creating healthier learning environments…(to) influence communication and collaboration.” 2 The number of students seeking spiritual fulfillment during their college years is also on the rise at UC San Diego, as evidenced by the continually increasing number of student organizations associated with various religious traditions.

We know through research that there is a close correlation between the ability of students to manage the stresses of early adulthood and college life and their academic performance. The ability of UCSD students to cope and succeed is directly dependent upon their access to wellness-related information, services and engagement opportunities, and their ability to connect with one another.

A CENTER AT THE HEART OF STUDENT CAMPUS LIFE

Designed for the healthy as well as those in need, the Wellness Center at UCSD will have a positive atmosphere, without the potential for negative stigma attached to seeking personal help or fulfillment.

The Center’s physical manifestation – adjacent to the campus’ Main Gym complex – is currently designated in UCSD’s Long Range Development Plan. It is part of neighborhood of student services on the west side of campus including the Women’s Center, the Student Center, LGBT Resource Office, the Main Gym, The Grove Café, the University Art Gallery and the Muir Campus. In proximity to these services, we can more effectively attract students to the following services, which has been proven to be very popular in campus communities around the country.

 Health Education  Counseling and Psychological Services  Recreation  Center for Ethical and Spirituality (CES)  Personal Wellness

WHAT IS INSIDE? VIRTUAL & ACTUAL COMPONENTS

The Wellness Center will have five wood-floor activity rooms for recreation classes and clubs, as well as sports teams. It will also provide two classrooms, several examination/testing rooms for personal wellness programs, interview/counseling rooms for psychological and counseling services, offices for the Student Health Education Program, Recreation Professionals, Psychological Service Professional and various spaces – contemplative, general gathering, counseling and administrative – associated with the Center for Ethics and Spirituality The Center for Ethics and Spirituality at UCSD, established as the Office of Religious Affairs at UCSD in 1967, provides an accessible source for students to find spiritual, moral and ethical guidance and support. The member denominations are all led by professionals for whom the campus is the primary responsibility.

All operations will be integrated in such a way that, at any given time, the activity rooms will be filled with students engaged in martial arts, dance, yoga, fitness classes, meditation sessions, fencing, spiritual pursuits, student organization meetings and events or combinations of these and other activities.

Anticipated classroom uses include recreation, health education and nutrition, lectures and workshops on ethics, honesty, integrity, meditation and spiritual inquiry, as well as much-needed space for student organization meetings. A ground-floor courtyard café with indoor/outdoor seating will support socialization

3 and community building. The café will provide delicious, healthy and, when possible, locally grown and organic food and drink.

The proposed four-story building, currently estimated at a cost of $40 million, would have a footprint of approximately 10,000 square feet and contain 30,000 to 35,000 assignable square feet. Plans are for the materials and treatment of the exterior of the building to integrate with the existing Main Gym complex and complement the surrounding eucalyptus and open field space.

The proposed facility will be incorporate a “well building” approach using environmentally friendly, non-toxic, natural materials where possible and incorporating sustainable building principles, including energy efficiency via passive and active solar design components. Exterior landscape and hardscape will facilitate outdoor activities, contemplation and community.

WHERE WE STAND: FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS

The university has assigned space, funded a feasibility study, developed a building plan, hired a “point person” to manage and spearhead the project. We have developed and refined a variety of It is our goal to multidisciplinary services including a wellness class offered by Recreation and Nutrition identify partners Services, a weight management program integrating behavioral, medical and nutritional who understand services, a stress management and biofeedback program, the Goals in Action Program with the importance of Academic Advising and Psychological Services, Student Health Advocate and Wellness a Wellness Center Peer Education programs that provide wellness education and services for students, as well to meet students’ as complementary workshops such as mindfulness meditation, stress management, health physical, and peak performance and hypnosis. psychological, spiritual, ethical, Immediate plans include developing a virtual wellness website, mobile wellness fairs that social and provide services and education to students on a quarterly basis, expansion of the wellness nutritional needs. peer education program, and providing more trans-disciplinary programs and services. The next phase will involve securing a temporary space for a Wellness Center to provide multidisciplinary programs and services and give space to the wellness professionals, allowing them to collaborate and create trans-disciplinary programs and services.

A SAFE COMMUNITY AND FAMILY FOR OUR STUDENTS ___

A great university produces great leaders – many of whom lead by example. The behaviors we instill in our young people today will fan outward, impacting the lives of countless more people beyond our classrooms. Healthy, whole and vibrant, our students will be prepared to take on an increasingly intense and demanding world, applying and sharing what they’ve learned in those short yet life-changing years on campus.