Howard Payne University students, faculty and staff recently participated in Week of Wellness (W.O.W.) activities on campus. The week’s events featured a different emphasis on health each day, providing insight on beneficial physical, spiritual, mental and emotional practices. Highlights included health screenings, demonstrations, exhibits, games and drawings.

Teresa Cavitt, assistant professor of kinesiology and faculty/staff wellness director, organized the week’s activities.

“The goal of the Week of Wellness is to expose the HPU campus community to important health information,” she shared.

Throughout the week, health care checks and assessments were provided to personnel and students in collaboration with HPU’s Departments of Kinesiology and Nursing and Hendrick Health.

“In addition to the regular assessments of blood pressure, blood glucose, percent body fat and hydration, a sleep hygiene segment was added,” Cavitt explained. “Understanding the consequences of sleep deprivation is an important concept for faculty, staff and students.”

A mental health panel comprised of Brown County professionals was a timely addition to the slate of events. The panel included Jay Maddox, part-time university counselor at HPU; Breawna Ballard, part-time university counselor and adjunct faculty member at HPU; Leah Parker, mental health specialist at Brownwood Independent School District; and Billy Cash, college pastor at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges have risen exponentially across college campuses,” Cavitt said. “Implementing the mental health panel was ‘spot-on’ in terms of need and relevance.”

Members of the campus community also had the chance to participate in hands-on activities, including pickleball and a cooking activity. Additionally, the Texas Department of Transportation facilitated a driving simulation to replicate driving under the influence and distracted driving.

“The pickleball event was a fun, on-trend way to engage in beneficial physical activity,” Cavitt said. “Cooking is a passion of mine, and our culinary segment was not only a lot of fun, but we educated students on ‘go, slow, and whoa’ foods, and ate tasty samples of all the dishes we made. Regarding the driving simulation, if one student makes the decision to not text and drive, the whole driving replication was worth the time and effort.”

Cavitt shared about the success of week’s offerings.

“After some analysis of the event with colleagues, we think the W.O.W. may be one of the best wellness events we have ever hosted on campus,” she said. “Plus, we were able to give away some great door prizes to our students, including air pods, Amazon gift cards and a bicycle. According to the feedback we received, it was a great event.”