De-Stress Study Break

June 2008

Animal therapy has been shown to relieve anxiety and reduce stress.  Reading period before finals is a time of high stress among the University of Chicago students making it a perfect time to bring in the Canine Therapy Corp for the Spring De-Stress event.  Canine Therapy Corps, formerly known as Chenny Troupe, is a Chicago-based network of dedicated volunteers and their certified therapy dogs that offers rehabilitative therapy to people with physical and emotional challenges. These programs help restore health and hope to thousands of clients every year.

A group of University of Chicago students take a break from studying to de-stress with a Canine Therapy Dog, a wolfhound.

Students enjoyed the therapy dog event and smiled as they turned their attention from studies and to the dogs for a minute.

Both the therapy dog and student seemed to benefit from the moment of relaxation.

This beagle mix named P. Casso definitely had plenty of attention from the University of Chicago students!

This de-stress event gave the students an opportunity to get a new perspective during their days of studying before finals.

Trojan Evolve Tour

May 2008

The Student Care Center brought the Trojan Evolve tour to campus in May 2008. The University of Chicago was just one of the many universities across the country that the tour visited over six months. The goal of the Trojan Tour is to fully engage college students to think about condom usage, individual worthiness, their rights to accurate sexual health information, and how they can personally improve the sexual health of America.

The Trojan” Evolve” campaign was designed to spark awareness and dialogue about the state of sexual health in America, provide an opportunity to advocate for change, and encourage people to take personal responsibility by pledging to live a sexually responsible lifestyle.

To capture people’s attention, Trojan has used humorous and sometimes pointed imagery, such as the pigs featured in Evolve advertising, to symbolize behavior that can be self-centered and irresponsible to capture our audience’s attention and spark discussion, getting women and men thinking about worthiness, self-care and trust: Does my partner care enough about me, or do I care enough about myself, to use a condom? “Evolve” isn’t about encouraging people to have sex. It’s about making the sex people are having healthier and more enjoyable.

A University of Chicago student takes a chance on the Trojan Trivia Wheel at the Trojan Evolve Tour.

Two students view the Trojan Evolve tour bus which was equipped with video booths.  These video booths allowed the students to send shout-outs to their friends about the importance of condom use.

Students had the opportunity to compete in a Condom Draw – students race against the clock (and each other) to demonstrate responsible behavior (e.g. using a condom) via a relay race.

A couple of students took the time to speak with representatives from Trojan at the event.

Green Fest: “Guess the Mystery Fruit or Vegetable table”

April 2008, Main Quads

The PHEs participated in the Green Fest which was organized by the Sustainability Council. Many RSOs participated by having their own table and information. The PHEs focused on introducing their peers to “new” fruits and vegetables which they may have not tried in the past. It was an opportunity to learn about healthy food options for many students.

These University of Chicago students took the exciting opportunity to taste a variety of fruits and vegetables. They were surprised to learn how persimmons taste for example after walking past them many times at the grocery stores.

Emily Carroll and Juliana Shulman, both PHEs, assisted in the Green Fest event by educating their peers about the fruits and vegetables which were offered at the table.

Students enjoyed the opportunity to sample fruits such as: persimmons, Korean pears, papaya, passion fruit; and vegetables such as: yellow tomatoes and beets.

Peer Health Educators: Sophia Wagner- Serrano, Kacey Mordecai, and Kerry Schnell, prepared the many fruits and vegetables for the Green Fest event.

The PHEs enjoyed educating their peers about the “new” healthy foods while some University of Chicago students expanded their healthy food awareness as a result of their experience at the Green Fest.

De-Stress Study Break

March 2008, Reynolds South Lounge

The Peer Health Educators understand the importance of taking time to reduce stress especially during finals week. The De-Stress event consisted of FREE yoga, massage, and create your own trail mix.

University of Chicago students took time to reduce stress by working together on a game called, “Do you know about stress?”

Students learned to give each other a massage from Meredith Haggerty, a movement specialist at the SCC.

Even a quick massage can provide much need relaxation.

Peer Health Educators and SCC staff at the De-Stress event. Front: Liz So, Bonnie Li, Emily Carroll; Back: Kristyn Genrich (SCC Health Educator), Colleen Christensen, Yuewei Wu, Sheila Rajagopal, Meredith Haggerty (SCC Movement Specialist)

Healthy Body Q & A Session

February 2008, Bartlett Trophy Lounge

SCC and SCRS healthcare staff members were present along with the Peer Health Educators to answer questions about healthy eating.