Boston University’s Wellness Center, a branch of the Office of Residence Life, kicked off its annual series of health and wellness discussions last Wednesday with its first “Umbrella Session,” entitled “Doesn’t Anyone Date Anymore?,” presented to a group of students in the Warren Towers Cinema Room.
“Doesn’t Anyone Date Anymore?” is just one of the many topics addressed in the Wellness Center’s Umbrella Sessions, which Health and Wellness Educator Beth Grampetro described as chats between educators and students about issues students may have direct contact with during their time at BU. Other sessions will cover topics ranging from alcohol abuse and roommate relationships to stress management.
The Wellness Center, located at 19 Deerfield St., is a place where students can go to de-stress and get information about different health-related services around campus. The center does not have on-site healthcare or counseling, but Grampetro said she sees it as “a gateway kind of place” where students can come to get the information they need to make an informed decision.
“This is going to be the place on campus to go to ask tough questions,” she said. “Some people are too intimidated to go to Student Health Services or Behavioral Medicine, and this is the place where we can say to them, ‘go to this place.'”
The Umbrella Sessions are a continuation of a seminar series that began in the late 1990s. Over the past few years, topics have been updated or added to accommodate the evolving college lifestyle, including untraditional dating circumstances and alcohol awareness. Grampetro said she thinks the alcohol issue is important to address because so many students have had incidents with it before they even arrive at college.
“Alcohol is something that many students have experience with and is something people can get involved in,” she said. “It is important to give them information as early as possible.”
BU Anxiety and Substance Abuse Program Director Todd Farchione, of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said alcohol abuse is a growing problem on college campuses, possibly because students drink as a type of self-medication.
“There is some overlap between anxiety disorders and alcohol,” he said. “We see a lot of people using alcohol as a way to manage anxiety in social situations.”
One topic that will not be covered in the Umbrella Sessions, but which is visible across the BU campus, is eating disorders. Farchione and CARD Nurse Administrator Bonnie Conklin listed eating disorders as one of the most common issues they see at the center. Others include performance anxiety, separation anxiety, panic disorder and depression.
Farchione emphasized the importance of having good peer relationships to keep adjustment disorders in check.
“Coming back to school, or coming to school for the first time, can be difficult for students,” he said. “Boston is a city and can be a big transition for someone who has never been away from their family. With freedom comes anxiety. Having friends and having good social support are important.”
Caitlin Megill attended the “I Thought I Could Handle It …” session about identifying and relieving stress and said the information she learned helped her and thought it would help other students.
“Definitely a lot of people get stressed, especially as the year goes on,” the School of Management freshman said. “I learned more relaxation stuff.”
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Destiny Acidera, who attended the same session, also found the information to be helpful, mainly because she learned more about the Wellness Center and its function.
“There are a lot of resources here at BU that aren’t well advertised,” she said. “There is more than just the Educational Resource Center or Academic Advisors. If the circumstance comes, I know the Wellness Center is here and I will use it.”
The next Umbrella Session, “So, What Do You Do for Fun?,” will be held Sept. 18 in the Sargent Activities Center at 6 p.m. Sessions will be held regularly until Oct. 18.
