At the Student Counseling Center, Point Park students can receive emotional support when it comes to stress, work, school and anxiety.
The Office of Student Life is also available to students and offers tips on how to keep a living space clean, and maximize the experience of living on campus.
“We just want to make sure that students know we are here for them for support in life, support in work, support at home, whatever they need to get through school,” said Student Counseling intern student Center Chelsea Diebold.
While last week’s Health and Wellness fair displayed all of those groups and their programs, representatives from them stressed that their services are available to students year-round.
“We’re just trying to get students to realize useful tips and tricks that they can use in their living space so it’s easy for them to keep everything clean and orderly,” said Office of Student Life Community Director, Samantha Westby.
Organizations outside of Point Park also reached out to students including UPMC Centers for Rehab Services and CVS Pharmacy. UPMC provides students with convenient locations in Downtown, the South Side and Oakland. CVS Pharmacy also has two easily accessible locations Downtown. Students at the Wellness Fair had the opportunity to learn about all the resources provided to them.
Diebold is part of a graduate program through Carlow University that has placed her at Point Park with the Student Counseling Center. She also works for UPMC as an account manager for the Employee Assistant Program.
She wants to encourage positive messages to students about being mentally healthy. Services at the counseling center are free to all students, whether they are full-time or part-time, live on campus or commute.
Students have options when choosing the right path. They can receive one counseling session or a series if needed. They can also start an exercise program for added stress relief.
“I just hope they take out positive messages, support, knowing that someone’s here for them unbiased and confidentially,” Diebold said. “If they ever need support, if things get crazy, if life gets crazy, there is someone here for them if they need it.”
The Office of Student Life was showing students affordable ways to keep their living spaces clean with things they already have in their dorms. One example was using post-it notes to clean computer keyboards.
“You can just use a post-it note and run it through the keys to get all the gross dust…out of there,” said Community Director in the Office of Student Life Community Director, Caleb Rodgers.
Students can visit the Student Life Office in Pioneer Hall, Monday-Friday. Here, they can learn more tips about campus life, receive information about housing and see a student mentor about both educational and social experiences.
“What were presenting to students is a number of different life hacks that apply specifically in the dorm room, in the classroom, in study places like the library,” Rodgers said. “And it’s basically designed to show students that there are affordable alternatives to keep a neat space, helping [you] practice better study habits, all of those great things.”
UPMC Centers for Rehab Services offer outpatient therapy close to the Point Park campus. Their message at the Wellness Fair was that they can provide students with physical, occupational and speech therapy. UPMC has a variety of specialized therapy programs, including sports rehab.
“We hope that they know we’re here in the community to help them work through any pain issues, to help them return to sports through rehab,” UPMC physical therapist Michael O’Donnell said.
CVS Pharmacy representative Cathy Cairns made an appearance at the Wellness Fair to help students save money and provide convenience. Cairns offered ExtraCare cards, which can be obtained at any CVS location.
“The ExtraCare cards will help them save money,” Cairns said. “I know that they’re students and eventually they have to pay back student loans, so this helps them save money while they’re in school.”
Students can use their ExtraCare cards in their Market Square location or on Smithfield Street to purchase items such as food, toiletries and beauty products. The cards also help students save money on their prescriptions. Cairns wants students to ensure they are staying on their therapy sessions during the school term.
“They know they can get their prescriptions transferred to our stores Downtown, and then when they go home in the summertime they can actually have those transferred back to their pharmacies at home,” Cairns said.
Other organizations like the Student Health Center, Campus Police, Massage Envy, Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR), Gateway Drug and Alcohol Rehab and many others offered their services to students at the Wellness Fair. They also offer year-round services.
Many students showed interest in maintaining their health and shared their current health habits.
Saafir Maddox, junior criminal justice major, follows a heavy fitness routine.
“I am part of the Point Park track team, and I go to the gym on a daily basis, at least six times a week, and basically just take care of my body,” Maddox said.
Many students like Maddox go to the Student Center to use the free gym equipment rather than purchasing a membership elsewhere.
“I go to the gym probably two to three hours a day, each day of the week,” sophomore sports, arts and entertainment management (SAEM) major Derek Brough said. “I try different dieting foods, fruits, vegetables and different little snacks to keep me healthy instead of doing the big meals over and over.”
As well as the gym equipment, the Student Center also offers a variety of free fitness classes. The classes offered are zumba, yoga, spinning and crime prevention and survival combat programs. Programs require no pre-registration. All classes are held in room 207B of the Student Center and run on a first come, first serve basis.
Acting major Madelyn Tomko is just one student that expressed interest.
“I do a lot of yoga, and I also like to go to the gym a couple times a week, and I try to stay hydrated,” Tomko said.
