With the sun shining down on a bustling Riley Ellipse, the weather reflected the moods and sentiments on campus last Tuesday for Villanova’s second annual “Fresh Check Day.” Students took the time to reach out and find resources on mental health, talking with representatives from various departments at Villanova.
“Our main goal here is to make sure that students know about the mental health and well-being resources here on campus,” Villanova counselor Candice Post said. “However, many times, we can put our mental health and wellbeing resources in front of you, the better, so that people know about all the different facets of campus that are here to promote your safety and ability to thrive here.”
Fresh Check Day is an event model that colleges across the country have started using in recent years. Developed by the Jordan Porco Foundation, it aims to use promote dialogue about mental health and suicide prevention by way of interactive booths, support from multiple campus departments, free food and prizes.
“The problem now is we aren’t having these tough conversations, therefore we’re not raising awareness,” senior and Fraternity and Sorority Life Representative Ellen Phillips said. “Having these booths, you’re able to foster those productive conversations while being educational.”
Designed to entice students with free food and prizes, the hope is that they feel comfortable enough with staff and fellow students running booths to talk and perhaps stay open to learning more about the resources they may need. The dozen or so booths featured rock painting with Residence Life, mocktails and standard drink measuring with OFSL, coloring sheets with the Counseling Center and much more. It was a diverse mix of creative outlets, mindful activities and informative fliers with an ice cream truck on site and service dog cameos.
This event comes at an important time for many Villanovans with stress mounting and homesickness kicking in around family weekend. These stressors—on top of a heavy workload and extracurriculars testing even the most resilient of students—can naturally cause anxiety and feel overwhelming, and it can be even more daunting not knowing where or who to turn to for help.
“You may take a lot of things for granted at home, and you might not know how to navigate that at school,” junior Noelle Baraczak said. “So having [a support system] here, in one place, is helpful.”
September is “Healthy ‘Nova Month,” and Fresh Check Day is one of the many opportunities hosted by the Office of Health Promotion to introduce the Villanova community to all the dimensions of health. Ultimately, its goal is to develop a healthier atmosphere on campus for all students.
It’s easy to fall into a trap of wishful thinking and empty words about reducing stigma around mental health when exposure like this isn’t readily available. In an era of worsening mental health and political divisiveness, events like Fresh Check Day prove the importance of meaningful conversations and actually internalizing their messaging.
Check in on your friends. Take your own emotions seriously. Utilize Villanova’s counseling center and never be too afraid to ask for help.
