Discover the “Why” in Wellbeing: A deeper dive with NIRSA 2024 presenters

Conferences are a great way to tap into new trends in any profession and those of us who have been working in campus recreation for a few years know that the NIRSA Conference is no exception: It’s the singularly best learning event for a campus recreation and wellbeing professional to attend each year. But even at schools with generous professional development allocations, it’s not possible for every member of the team to attend every conference.

So, the Wellbeing Briefing Work Group is taking time to follow-up with some of our favorite presenters on the topic of wellbeing who were at NIRSA 2024. We asked them to share their inspiration for their presentations, how it has shaped their practices on their own campuses, and how they hope their ideas are making waves at other institutions.

Below, you’ll find a brief description of three sessions from the most recent NIRSA Conference in Phoenix, along with their responses to our questions.

Decolonizing the Dimensions of Wellness

Presented by Condor, Manager of the Wellness Center at California State University, Northridge and Victoria R. Lopez-Herrera, Senior Associate Director at University of Texas at San Antonio, this session was designed to help attendees break free from the constraints of seeking “perfect balance” and focus instead on the interconnectivity of self and the natural world. Participants were invited to measure the over and under-energized dimensions of wellness through the lens of circular connection and energy.

We caught up with Condor and Victoria to see what inspired them to present at NIRSA 2024, how they are applying their ideas on their respective campuses, and how they see attendees leveraging their ideas on other campuses across North America (and beyond).

Wellbeing Briefing Work Group: What influenced your presentation at NIRSA 2024?

Condor and Victoria R. Lopez-Herrera: Our presentation was driven by a critical response to the marginalization of indigenous knowledge in higher education across North America. We aimed to challenge the colonial mindset that dictates whose expertise is valued. Our focus was exploring barriers to accepting diverse wellness models and promoting “cultural appreciation” through practices emphasizing respect, understanding, and reciprocity.
We adapted a Pan-indigenous Medicine Wheel and Wellness Wheel model used at California State University, Northridge’s Oasis Wellness Center to illustrate interconnected wellbeing, highlighting how an imbalance in one dimension affects others. By integrating indigenous practices into university programs, we aimed to inspire institutions to embrace inclusive wellness practices beyond superficial gestures.

In essence, the presentation critiqued colonial biases and encouraged a more inclusive approach to wellness in academia, urging attendees to reconsider how expertise and wellness are defined and practiced in their institutions.

How have the ideas that you shared in your presentation contributed to shared practices at your institution? 

Condor: CSUN’s Oasis Wellness Center—an integral part of the University Student Union (USU)—has embarked on adapting a four-dimensional model for its wellness programs. While the Health Center and Counseling Services maintain the SAMHSA Wellness Wheel model, the USU/Oasis Wellness Center has initiated collaboration with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. Together, they are developing policies and protocols for land acknowledgment, aiming to integrate Indigenous perspectives into campus practices.

The commitment extends across CSUN’s University Student Union, which oversees various departments including the Student Recreation Center and the Oasis Wellness Center. Plans are underway to fly the Fernandeño Tataviam Tribal Flag at the University Student Union, symbolizing ongoing partnership and acknowledgment.

Additionally, the Oasis Wellness Center has introduced classes on shamanic journeying, meditation, and Medicine Wheel presentations, enriching campus offerings with diverse cultural practices.

In short, the presentation spurred CSUN’s proactive efforts to incorporate cultural awareness and practices into its wellness initiatives, fostering an inclusive environment that respects and integrates indigenous perspectives on campus.

How do you think attendees might apply the concepts you presented about at NIRSA 2024 on their own campuses? 

C and VLH: The primary goal of our presentation at the conference was to inspire attendees to promote inclusivity and diversity within wellness spaces at their own institutions. We aimed to encourage a shift towards creating environments that embrace various forms of wellness, such as meditation spaces, sleep areas, and healing sound practices.

Our objective was to prompt colleagues to reflect critically on the services and programs they currently offer, urging them to move towards ‘cultural appreciation’ rather than ‘cultural appropriation.’ This includes deepening their understanding of the historical and cultural contexts of practices like yoga and meditation, ensuring they are approached with respect and authenticity.

Furthermore, we emphasized the importance of outdoor experiences that connect individuals with the land and its people. This involves not only acknowledging the land’s history and significance but also engaging with native guides and honoring sacred spaces.

In essence, our aim was for conference attendees to go beyond mere land acknowledgment during campus programs and to actively integrate these principles into their institutional frameworks, thereby fostering a more inclusive and culturally respectful approach to wellness across higher education settings.

For more information about decolonizing the dimensions of wellness, reach out to Victoria on NIRSA Connect.

The Raw Truth: What Students in Campus Recreation Are Combating and Why Departments Need to Prioritize Mental Health

Kayla Irlbeck, Coordinator of Intramural Sports at California State University, Sacramento and Hannah Williams, Coordinator, Intramural and Club Sports at Emory University have been investigating the state of student staff mental health in campus recreation and how their roles working in campus recreation can affect their mental health. Their brief survey is still open to students working in campus recreation; they presented some of their early findings at the 2024 NIRSA Conference in Phoenix.

Megan Byas-Hill, Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness, Tulane University and member of the NIRSA Wellbeing Briefing Work Group caught up with Kayla and Hannah to find out what inspired their presentation, how it has shaped their practices on their own campuses, and how they hope their ideas are making waves at other institutions. Watch the short video below for the conversation.

Speaking the Language of Wellbeing

Gregory Reinhardt, Associate Director for Programs & Assessment at University of Washington, Marti Tomlin, Director of University Recreation at University of Richmond, and Kevin George, Director of Campus Recreation at Rowan University came together at NIRSA 2024 to offer a terminology crash course for anyone who has ever hesitated to enter a wellbeing conversation because they don’t feel versed in the lingo.

At the Speaking the Language of Wellbeing session, they discussed and defined concepts used in wellbeing conversations within and beyond recreation circles across campus. We caught up with Gregory, Marti, and Kevin to see what inspired them to present at NIRSA 2024, how they are applying their ideas on their respective campuses, and how they see attendees leveraging their ideas on other campuses across North America (and beyond).

Wellbeing Briefing Work Group: What influenced your presentation at NIRSA 2024?

Gregory, Marti, and Kevin: “We hope to increase the literacy of and the language used in health & wellbeing through multiple channels, using the inter-association definition of wellbeing. A shortlist of the key resources that influenced our presentation include:

1. The information outlined on NIRSA’s Recreation for Wellbeing webpage.
2. NIRSA’s Recreation for Wellbeing Course.
3. Sessions from Wellbeing in Higher Education Week.
4. Sessions from previous NIRSA, NASPA Strategies, and ACHA conferences over the past five years.
5. NIRSA’s Promising Practices.
6. NIRSA’s State of Wellbeing Survey.
7. NIRSA’s Wellbeing Briefing.

How have the ideas that you shared in your presentation contributed to shared practices at your institution? 

Gregory: “At University of Washington, recreation has integrated ourselves in the Student Wellbeing Collective at UW and aims to collaborate with various campus partners to connect our facilities, programs, and services to health, wellness, and wellbeing initiatives throughout campus.”

Kevin: “Rowan University is utilizing many parts of the presentation when formulating our master plan for wellbeing, with the goal of signing the Okanagan Charter in the near future. The Rowan Thrive initiative is continuing development through examples with the Promising Practices, the Wellbeing Repository, and sharing out to other faculty/staff about the Wellbeing in Higher Education Week was foundational in our efforts. We are exploring components of the recreation for wellbeing course to have an on campus certificate to promote literacy to our employees and students.”

Marti: “University of Richmond has used the language from the presentation to move well-being initiatives on our campus forward through a common understanding, goals, and a shared purpose, related to well-being. UR opened a Well-Being Center built around five key areas of wellbeing: exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, self-care, and sleep. Additionally, UR established a Well-being Unit bringing together University Recreation, Health Promotion, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Student Health Center, and Disability Services under one Associate Vice President.”

How do you think attendees might apply the concepts you presented about at NIRSA 2024 on their own campuses? 

G, M, and K: We hope to move people past potential barriers posed by conflicting language or perceptions used by campus partners when creating, discussing, and implementing health, wellness, and wellbeing collaborations. We’re trying to help our colleagues feel more confident supporting wellbeing conversations that can impact their campuses. Through practical examples of language and programmatic implementations, we showed how they could spark campus partnerships on their respective institutions.

We also hoped to distinguish health, wellbeing, and wellness as unique concepts. And we wanted to connect health, wellbeing and wellness language to recreational activities.

Check out our Repository of Wellbeing Measures, which is now available for NIRSA members, for more tips about integrating wellbeing on your campus.