By Brandon Cortés
Features Editor
The Academic Quad turned into a hub of support and positivity during the annual Wellbeing Fair, where campus services and student activities came together to promote health and mental wellness.
Coordinator for the Wellbeing Center Allyson Regis said the fair is designed to make resources more accessible and less intimidating for students who may not know where to turn.
“The Wellbeing Fair is something that we have annually to provide students with resources,” Regis said. “These are mainly on-campus resources that they can access free of charge, and oftentimes students don’t really know how many resources we have, or even the fact that they can access it.”
The fair focused heavily on mental health, an issue Regis said is at the forefront for many students facing depression, anxiety and challenges in maintaining healthy relationships.
The goal, she said, was not only to encourage students to use services for themselves but also to equip them with knowledge they can share with peers.
“Oftentimes, you might be going through something, and then you talk to a friend about it, and the friend can be the one to say, ‘Hey, did you know that we have health services on campus?’” Regis said. “So, it’s not just for you; it’s so you can tell a friend to tell a friend.”
One of the highlights of the fair was the hands-on activity provided by Counseling Services, where students could decorate a “worry stone” with positive words or self-compassionate phrases.
Students were also invited to write well wishes on a community prayer flag which will be displayed outside the counseling services office.
Michelle Lawler, a counselor within Counseling Services, said the interactive activities help create a lasting reminder of positivity for students and the wider campus.
“We’re basically explaining what our services are on campus,” Lawler said. “One is to paint or write a positive word or self-compassion on the worry stone that students can take with them. And then, we’re trying to create a prayer flag to put well wishes out into the Southern community.”
The Wellbeing Center also highlighted opportunities for students to gain nationally recognized certifications in mental health awareness.
Regis explained that the center offers two trainings: a 90-minute certification in QPR — Question, Persuade and Refer — which teaches students how to recognize suicide warning signs, and an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid course building literacy around mental health and substance use.
“Students can learn tangible skills on how to ask the question about suicide, how do you persuade someone to get help,” Regis said. “With Mental Health First Aid, students learn how to support people at different levels and get a three-year certification.”
Regis said the Wellbeing Fair continues to draw students each fall, particularly new arrivals who may not yet be familiar with campus offerings.
The Wellbeing Fair has been held at the university for roughly a decade, though Regis noted she could not give an exact year of its founding.
Although the event is typically limited to the fall semester, the office also organizes a suicide prevention walk in the spring as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Regis said both events serve as important reminders that help is available year-round.
“Sometimes, students don’t know what they can personally do,” Regis said. “This is a chance to not just see the services but connect a face to a name so that walking into an office doesn’t feel so intimidating.”
