The Creighton EDGE program of Magis: Well-Being helped Creighton students take time to focus on their physical, emotional and spiritual health throughout last week.
The newly implemented co-curricular event lasted from Nov. 5-11 and required all freshmen students enrolled in an RSP class to attend one of the 24 offered events that emphasized personal care and mindfulness.
Joseph Ecklund, director of academic success at the Creighton EDGE office, said in an email that the required event was created as a response to raised stress and anxiety levels in freshmen during the second half of the first semester.
Ecklund said a committee representing Student Life, the EDGE, Retention and all three undergraduate colleges collectively agreed “that we needed to address this concern.”
To do so, introducing personal wellness in RSP classes was deemed the best fit. Ecklund said “Magis: Well-Being” integrated well with the other mandatory RSP co-curricular programs of “Magis: Transitions,” which focuses on adjusting to college, and “Magis: Choices,” which addresses alcohol usage.
The variety of events throughout the week allowed students to pick one they were specifically interested in or that fit their personal needs.
The events stretched across many areas of student life, ranging from serious talks such as a suicide prevention seminar, to physically focused sessions with yoga or strength training, to purely fun events like “Doing Puzzles is Relaxing!”
“I think the well-being week impacted students by giving them time to explore various events that interest them,” said Austin Tapuro, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Tapuro, a decurion mentor in the RSP program, was a leader for the VIA Hike event on Saturday Nov. 11. “The freshmen got a time to relax and reflect about the semester that has happened so far.”
Another event was “Be the Light,” where three panelists told stories of mental illness in their personal lives.
Heider College of Business freshman Nick Majetich attended “Be the Light” and said listening to the panel members comfortably discuss their issues made him more comfortable with difficulties in his own life.
“It’s the mindset of if they can do it, so can I,” said Majetich. “I can be more comfortable in facing my own issues.”
The events that made up Magis: Well-Being week aimed to encourage new students to remember their own well-being while helping students “realize that lots of folks at Creighton care about them,” said Ecklund.
This demonstrated the support found across campus in university departments and student groups alike. Ecklund said, “It was really a wonderful partnership across campus.”