Hello Ithaca College Community! I am writing today to share some information about workgroups and committees that are working on health and wellness initiatives for the university in the 2022-2023 academic year. I hope that you will consider checking out the goals of the workgroups below – and consider getting involved with one of these workgroups or committees starting in August/September 2022!
Alcohol and Other Substance Prevention Team (AOD Team) Sign-Up here
Mission: The mission of the AOD Prevention Team is to reduce substance use and related harm among Ithaca College students in order to maximize student health, safety, learning, and success. Toward this goal, the AOD Team membership works in an interdisciplinary and collaborative manner to create policies, practices, and programs that align with best practices.
2022 – 2023: Workgroups and Identified Goals
- Policy & Procedures: This group will be reviewing campus policies and procedures as well as looking at national and statewide policies relating to alcohol and other substance. They will make recommendations for updates and review data to ensure that campus policies are equitable and having the intended impact.
- Prevention Strategies: This group will be working on communications, outreach, alternative programming and strategies to reduce harm during higher risk times of the academic year for substance use.
- Recovery Support: This group will be working to create, implement and access a recovery ally training and bolster recovery resources (JED Recommendation)
- Substance Access: This group will be working to implement 2 drug takeback events annually, pumpkins for pills (fall) and popcorn for pills (spring). Additionally this group will increase communications and trainings for opioid overdose prevention (JED Recommendation)
Time Commitment: 1 to 3 hours/week (biweekly full team meetings with 30-minute workgroup time built into meetings, 1-2 hours of outside work or ongoing learning opportunities)
JED Campus Coalition Sign-Up here
Mission: The JED Campus Coalition is a campus-wide team working to improve mental wellness and suicide prevention. This team is working with the national JED Foundation to implement best practices which allow our campus to assess and enhance the work already being done, as well as foster positive, systemic change both on campus and in the greater community.
2022 – 2023 Subcommittees:
- Communications subcommittee
- Launch campaign that was developed by 180 consulting
- Update campus community about JED
- Maintain JED website
- Implement campaigns/communications connecting wellness to academics
- Training Implementation & Coordination subcommittee
- Coordinate (and potentially facilitate) selected gatekeeper training for suicide prevention
- Track and assess gatekeeper training
- Develop a data roadshow presentation/conversation using the Healthy Minds data and the American College Health Association data. The goal of the presentation is for offices, departments and groups to be able to use the data to incorporate into their work (fall 2022)
- Coordinate (and potentially facilitate) implement data roadshow presentations (spring)
- Mental Health Awareness Events subcommittee
- Coordinate Stop and Breathe Efforts
- Research how to implement campus screening days for depression, anxiety and substance use and establish needed partnerships (fall)
- Implement campus screening days in Spring and create an ongoing plan for the 2023-2024 academic year (spring)
- Student Connections subcommittee
- Explore ways to increase engagement with peer-to-peer engagement (working with different peer leadership groups)
- Working with admissions to support incoming students that have identified mental health or substance use concerns on their admissions paperwork
- Time Commitment: 1 to 3 hours/week (biweekly subcommittee meetings, once a month full team meeting)
Wellness Leadership Council Sign up by emailing us here
Mission: The Wellness Leadership Council works as a campus-wide team that aims to create sustainable systems and infrastructures that support the holistic well-being of the campus community, specifically students, staff and faculty.
2022-2023 Goals:
- Communications Goals:
- Launch and keep updated a wellness information hub linking students and employees to campus wellness resources
- Launch communications plan that includes public health columns, intercom posts, social media and other communications strategies to promote wellness utilizing the Dimensions of Wellness framework
- Infusing Wellness into the Classroom:
- Creating and seeking out wellness classroom activities that could be infused into courses by faculty
- Launching a Canvas platform and tracking system for faculty to access and be able to use classroom activities
- Promoting and growing this resource to the campus community, particularly to key stakeholders
Time Commitment: 1 to 3 hours/week (weekly workgroup meetings, monthly full team meetings, 1-2 hours of outside work or ongoing learning opportunities)
