75 ways we're inspiring well-being - Binghamton University

75 WAYS WE’RE INSPIRING WELL-BEING

Dining Services and the Healthy Campus Initiative held a “Veggie Tailgate” with free veggies and snacks.

BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY’S HEALTHY CAMPUS INITIATIVE — B-HEALTHY: CHOOSE WELL, BE WELL — originated with President Harvey Stenger’s strategic planning Creative Activities and Research Road Map Team in 2012, and is based on the concept of making “Binghamton University the healthiest campus.”

Binghamton University became tobacco free Aug. 1, 2017.

Since then, a cross-divisional committee has been working to integrate health and wellness into the fabric of Binghamton University’s educational mission so the entire campus community can be fully engaged in educational experiences inside and outside the classroom.

This booklet, celebrating the University’s history, brings into focus the many ways Binghamton University and its students, faculty and staff work together to develop and sustain a culture of support for health and well-being initiatives across the spectrum of the eight dimensions of wellness.

MEDITATION LABYRINTH NEAR OLD CHAMPLAIN

MEDITATION LABYRINTH

A labyrinth, used for walking meditation, is a single winding path that takes an individual from the outer edge in a circuitous way to a center point. The practice of labyrinth walking integrates the body, mind and spirit.

MAKERSPACE IN HINMAN DINING HALL

A commercial-grade kitchen, this space supports culinary exploration and events, and includes a professional, full-service kitchen and a complete dining room venue.

VARCC

The VARCC provides a single place for students — or anyone — to report an incident of sexual violence and access resources.

OUTDOOR FITCOURT — EAST GYM

An outdoor fitness venue featuring seven training zones and over 30 pieces of body-weight equipment to deliver a functional, full-body workout.

MULTIFAITH MEDITATION AND PRAYER ROOM

The Multifaith Meditation and Prayer Room, an initiative of the Multicultural Resource Center, is a shoe-less space that provides opportunities for private prayer, meditation, relaxation, reflection or spiritual and stressreduction activities.

SPECIALTY HOUSING OPTIONS

GENDER INCLUSIVE, CHEMICAL FREE, QUIET, TRANSFER

On-campus residing students have several specialty housing options available that allow them to live with like-minded students. Options include gender-inclusive housing, chemical-free housing, quiet living and transfer housing.

BIKE SHARE PROGRAM

Partnering with Gotcha Bike, a bike share and technology company, the Bike Share program brought 30 GPS-enabled bikes to the main campus and placed them in four locations where they are easily accessible.

Staff meditate at the labyrinth by Old Dickinson.

The pride flag flies on campus.

HEALTH SCIENCES CAMPUS

Home to the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, this newly constructed campus is in the heart of Johnson City, connecting students, faculty and staff with the community, and offering a modern learning environment for students.

Q CENTER

The Q Center provides an array of resources, educational opportunities and social justice initiatives designed to foster a campus environment that is inclusive and supportive of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

ICE SKATING RINK

The rink is located at the Old Dickinson co-rec field during the winter months. Students, faculty and staff are able to rent equipment free of charge to enjoy the facility.

MAMAVA

BREASTFEEDING POD

A private lactation space located on the top floor of The Union near Visions Federal Credit Union and the University Bookstore provides support to our community.

HARRIET TUBMAN CENTER

Launched in 2020 to help combat racial injustice and enhance education about Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).

RECREATION TURF FIELD

Supporting open play times, Club Sports and Intramurals, this 13,000-square-foot, lighted turf field at the East Gym, Recreation Center provides extended outdoor seasons for student play.

TRANSFER STUDENT SERVICES

Transfer students have unique sets of transitional issues that can be overwhelming. Transfer Student Services helps ease their transition and supports anyone transferring to Binghamton with mentoring and guidance.

GOTCHA BIKES ON MAIN CAMPUS

HARRIET

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR SERVICES (ISSS)

International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) provides services to support international students to ease their transition when they enroll at Binghamton. ISSS has advising hours and hosts events to help international students connect with one another and get involved on campus.

FOOD PANTRY

The Binghamton University Food Pantry is a judgment-free place for students facing hard times, such as running short of money for the month or other emergency situations. The pantry, located adjacent to the College-in-theWoods Dining Hall, is equipped to provide a variety of food and personal care items for students in need.

B-HEALTHY SIGNAGE

The Healthy Campus Initiative installed signage across campus to passively remind community members of the value of adding healthy behaviors into their day. Water fountain/bottle filler stations and stairuse prompts are among the indoor signs; outdoors, mileage markers around “the Brain” inform walkers/runners that just one loop around is 1.3 miles. There are also extended loops for greater distances.

NATURE PRESERVE

One of our greatest assets, the on-campus Nature Preserve encompasses 190 acres of land including a 20-acre wetland and over 11 miles of marked trails. Some great wildlife is also present.

WELLNESS SERVICES SUITE

The Wellness Services Suite located in the East Gym, Recreation Center has dedicated treatment rooms for massage therapy, nutritional assessments and fitness evaluations. Massage is helpful for maintaining physical and mental well-being.

BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY ACRES

Binghamton University Acres is an on-campus compost and gardening demonstration project that hosts hundreds of students during volunteer workdays and also runs an academic internship program. Students harvest fruit at Binghamton University Acres.

ENHANCING CAPACITY

CHOSEN NAME POLICY

The University recognizes that students or employees may want to use a name that is different from their legal name. The University has a policy that allows students and employees to indicate their chosen first names to the University community, even if they have not changed their legal name.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS REIMBURSEMENTS

This pilot program allows University benefiteligible faculty and staff to apply for a 50% reimbursement of their FitSpace fitness membership fee after completing a set number of exercise sessions.

MENSTRUAL CARE PRODUCTS

Free menstrual care products are available to students through an online ordering system or to pick up at various campus locations and in bathrooms across campus.

SYLLABUS STATEMENTS

Cleaning up cigarette butts before going tobacco free.

TOBACCO- AND SMOKE-FREE CAMPUS

Binghamton University is a tobacco- and smoke-free campus. The use of tobacco and any smoking products is prohibited on all University property at all times.

The Dean of Students Office has language available for faculty to include in their syllabi to indicate they are supportive of students and that can direct students to available resources.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY/ WELLNESS GEN ED REQUIREMENT

All undergraduate students at Binghamton University must fulfill a two-credit physical activity/wellness requirement as part of the General Education requirement.

AFTER-HOURS COUNSELING/MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

The University Counseling Center (UCC) provides free, confidential and professional after-hours phone support to students in distress or in crisis. Students who wish to speak with a registered nurse outside of Decker Student Health Services Center (DSHSC) hours can call DSHSC’s Fonemed service toll-free at 833-359-0167 to speak directly with a nurse.

CARPOOL TO CAMPUS

Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) offers carpooling incentives to encourage ride sharing. Students, faculty and staff are eligible to participate in a program that provides preferential parking for carpoolers. During Information Booth hours of operation, when a vehicle with at least three total occupants stops at the booth, the driver will receive access to the Visitor’s Paid Lot and Parking Garage. At the end of an academic year, if participants carpooled 35 times or more, permit holders earn a reimbursement toward their permit fees.

EMERGENCY FUND

The Binghamton University Student Emergency Fund grant is an award of financial assistance for currently enrolled Binghamton University students experiencing unusual and unforeseen circumstances. The awards are loans that do not have to be paid back.

ACADEMIC CLASSES IN THE NATURE PRESERVE

RESPONDING TO NEEDS

STUDENTS

Students meet in small groups during Orientation.

OZZI CONTAINERS

OZZI is a revolutionary system that eliminates traditional, disposable take-out containers for all segments of the food service industry by utilizing enhanced technology and reusable containers. Find OZZI stations at a number of dining locations on campus.

ORIENTATION PROGRAMMING

Orientation is an exciting time and central step to becoming a Bearcat. New students receive information and training on important well-being topics including consent, interpersonal violence prevention, campus safety and emergency notification, meal plans/dietary requirements, and healthcare options. We encourage a coaching style relationship with families in order to best help students with a healthy transition to college.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS PART OF ROAD MAP STRATEGIC PLAN

Binghamton University’s Healthy Campus Initiative

- B-Healthy: Choose well, Be well - originated with President Harvey Stenger’s strategic planning in 2012, and is based on the concept of making “Binghamton University the healthiest campus.” The Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) Strategic Plan set ambitious but achievable goals to improve the health culture on campus.

Amanda Mogul, clinical assistant professor, teaches pharmacy students during a clinical rotation.

HEARTSAFE CAMPUS

Binghamton University is a HEARTsafe Campus. This accreditation is a joint effort with the National Collegiate EMS Foundation and the American Heart Association to promote community awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, train community members in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and increase public access to defibrillation (AEDs).

STOP THE BLEED

This nationwide campaign empowers individuals to act quickly and save lives, recognizing that bystanders are always the first on scene and are able to act quickly in the absence of trained medical professionals. Binghamton has included Stop the Bleed kits with its AED defibrillators in buildings across campus.

PANDEMIC QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION HOUSING SUPPORT

Support for students in isolation and quarantine included choices of well-being items (e.g., resistance bands, yoga mats, puzzles, coloring books, etc.), a selection of snacks and an occasional socially distant performance by a student group to make isolation and quarantine experiences more enjoyable.

WELL-BEING IN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Faculty and staff play a pivotal role supporting students outside of their academics. Well-being is multidimensional, and while the classroom is an academic setting, there is always room to address individual lifestyle factors and afford students the opportunities and resources to develop relationships that support their wellbeing long after graduation.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISPOSAL

Binghamton University maintains a prescription medication drop-off container outside of the University Police Department (UPD). School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students work with UPD each year to hold safe prescription drug take-back events.

SAFER SEX SUPPLIES

Free safer sex supplies are available to all students and can be delivered to an oncampus address. Kiosks are also included throughout campus and in some restrooms.

Checking out the Healthy Campus Summit agenda.

HEALTHY CAMPUS SUMMIT

The annual Healthy Campus Summit provides students, faculty, staff and community members a captivating day of programming. Our hope is that all attendees will leave with personally useful wellnessrelated information, as well as be more informed about University resources, programs and projects underway to help make Binghamton University a healthier academic environment and workplace.

STRESS-FREE EVENTS INCLUDING THERAPY DOGS

BEARCAT SPIRIT SQUAD

CHIEF HEALTH AND WELLNESS OFFICER

A national best practice, Binghamton University created the position of chief health and wellness officer to support well-being initiatives across campus.

HEALTHY CAMPUS AGENTS

Healthy Campus Agents are volunteer faculty and staff who support the mission of the Healthy Campus Initiative by promoting and encouraging peers, co-workers and friends to participate in campus-sponsored health and wellness programs. Agents build a health culture in each unit.

STUDENT CULINARY COUNCIL

The Student Culinary Council is a team of students that advocates for students’ dining voices on and off campus.

COLLEGIATE PROFESSORS

STUDENT ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD VP FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

The Student Association revised its executive board structure, changing its vice president for academic affairs to vice president for student success. This position advocates on issues related to student wellness and bridges the gap between wellness-related campus entities and meaningful student input.

Collegiate professors are an essential part of the residential life experience at Binghamton as they bring together living and learning, helping students connect their academic lives with their lives outside the classroom. Collegiate professors serve as role models, advisors and leaders and give students a place to turn when they have questions about academic issues and other, non-academic concerns. These faculty, generally tenured, maintain offices within residential communities and connect students to campus programs and services. They also work closely with Residential Life staff to plan and implement educational, academic, social and cultural programs, and strive to build strong and supportive residential communities.

Students enjoying the annual Fall Festival.

DIVISION OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was established in 2020 as an expansion of the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This division works to develop and implement diversity and inclusion initiatives that create a welcoming campus climate that engenders a fundamental respect for human diversity in all its dimensions.

CARE TEAM

The CARE Team (Consultation, Advocacy, Referral, Education) works to educate and inform members of the Binghamton University community through caring, advocacy and supportive endeavors.

Monica Majors Guient in the Watson College Diversity Suite.

SOCIAL EVENTS CONNECT OUR STUDENTS AND IMPROVE MENTAL WELL-BEING

STUDENT

HEALTH AND WELLNESS LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY (H a WC)

This residence hall in the Dickinson Community is reserved for first-year students and provides educational and social experiences designed to meet the needs of students who are new to Binghamton University and the college experience. The building features a health and wellness studies course that meets the Physical Activity/Wellness (B) general education requirement, offered exclusively for these students, as well as other health and wellness programming.

Many faiths comprise the Binghamton University Interfaith Council.

STEPS TO B-HEALTHY WALKING PROGRAM

Individuals can register for this walking program independently or with a team to log monthly step counts and earn prizes from Binghamton University Dining Services, Campus Recreational Services and the Binghamton University Bookstore (Barnes & Noble)!

SIMPLE SERVINGS

The Binghamton University Dining Services (BUDS) Simple Servings station provides safe and appetizing food choices for customers with food allergies or food intolerances and those who prefer plain and simple foods. The Simple Servings station does not offer foods made with the Food and Drug Administration’s most common allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, milk products, eggs or shellfish. All foods offered are made without gluten-containing ingredients and staff are trained to avoid crosscontamination.

BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY INTERFAITH COUNCIL (BUIC)

The Binghamton University Interfaith Council (BUIC) is composed of various religious institutions and organizations from around the greater Binghamton area that have committed themselves to serving the religious and spiritual needs of the University community.

B-HEALTHY IN THE STACKS

Health and wellness programs have been incorporated into the libraries on campus through sponsored fitness classes, items to promote healthy study habits and spaces for students to relax and take study breaks.

PEER EDUCATORS WORK ON THE SPINE

Mindset mentors table to educate about stress.

MINDSET MENTORS

Mindset Mentors is a for-credit internship offered by the Health and Wellness Studies Department. Interns help the campus community uncover resilience so students can develop a powerful and positive mindset. The interns provide resources, tips and opportunities to practice new skills that help students learn to embrace change, build their resiliency and stay healthy.

EXERCISE IS MEDICINE

The American College of Sports Medicine Exercise is Medicine® on Campus (EIM-OC) is a global health initiative aimed at bridging the gap between healthcare providers and campus fitness professionals to promote physical activity to populations of the University community who are failing to participate in recommended doses of physical activity. Campus Recreational Services partners with the University Counseling Center and Employee Assistance Program.

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK AND DIVERSITY EMPOWERMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM INTERNS

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

Binghamton University’s Office of Residential Life offers private case management services right in the residential communities. Interns from the University’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program help residents with life on campus, supporting their transition to young adulthood by providing assistance with social, behavioral, emotional and academic concerns. The MSW intern program is a private, not confidential, resource for students.

DIVERSITY EMPOWERMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM INTERNS

The mission of the new Diversity Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) is to promote student engagement through a social justice lens for underrepresented minority students. DEEP interns from Binghamton University’s Department of Social Work provide underrepresented students with wrap-around services and support in residential communities, promoting academic success and student retention with a focus on improving student wellness, advancing intersectional equity and improving community cohesion.

LET’S TALK

Students can seek informal counseling support through Let’s Talk, a program offered by the University Counseling Center in collaboration with the Multicultural Resource Center, the Q Center, the Educational Opportunity Program and Student Support Services. Let’s Talk is a nationally recognized, confidential service that provides mental health consultations. At Binghamton, Let’s Talk is hosted in spaces that students regularly utilize and allows students to drop in, without an appointment, for confidential conversations to talk out an issue, get feedback and see what it is like to talk to a counseling professional.

NEW STUDENT OF COLOR MENTOR PROGRAM

The New Student of Color Mentor Program works to ease the adjustment for first-year students of color, connecting underrepresented minority students with faculty and staff of color with similar hobbies or academic interests.

HARPUR ACADEMIC RECOVERY PROGRAM (HARP)

The Harpur Academic Recovery Program (HARP) is a Harpur Advising Office initiative to assist Harpur students who are in academic difficulty in returning to good academic standing as soon as possible through a community of support.

COVID SURVEILLANCE TESTING SUPPORT

RESIDENTIAL LIFE B-CONNECTED PROGRAM

B-Connected provides an intentional residential experience that helps students engage within their communities and develop life skills in an environment that supports student success and well-being.

STRESS-FREE BING

Students can take advantage of a wide range of activities to ease the stress of finals. A selection of programs and free events are offered each December and May.

SEEK AND HARPUR’S FERRY AMBULANCE SERVICE

SEEK

SEEK is a student-run helpline that students can call to talk through an issue or anything else with a trained peer. The helpline is open from 8-11 p.m. any night the residence halls are open.

HARPUR’S FERRY AMBULANCE SERVICE

Harpur’s Ferry is a student-run, volunteer, advanced life-support agency that provides free pre-hospital care and transportation for Binghamton University students, faculty, staff, visitors and Broome County residents to any of the three local hospitals.

FLU CLINICS

Pharmacy students administer flu shots.

Offered annually, students are eligible to receive free flu shots provided by Decker Student Health Services, and the Employee Assistance Program offers clinics to faculty and staff.

SURVEILLANCE AND DIAGNOSTIC COVID-19 TESTING

The University offered free COVID-19 testing on campus for asymptomatic students, faculty and staff throughout the pandemic. Diagnostic testing for symptomatic students remains available through Decker Student Health Services.

WELL-BEING BASED STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS (6 TOTAL)

NUTRITION FITNESS INTERNS

Nutrition Fitness interns function as peer educators to fellow Binghamton students through service-learning projects, research and outreach to the greater Binghamton community.

M-HOPE INTERNS

Mental Health Outreach Peer Educators (M-HOPE) impact and change campus culture and create a safe space around topics of mental health and wellness through outreach services including presentations and prevention programming.

REACH INTERNS

Real Education About College Health (REACH) interns heighten fellow students’ awareness and understanding of health issues that directly affect their lives, such as alcohol and other drugs, tobacco use, social life, HIV/ AIDs, sexuality, self-esteem, peer pressure, relationships and healthy decision-making.

20:1 INTERNS

The 20:1 Prevention Program is a nationally recognized peer education program that provides sexual assault prevention, bystander intervention programming and violence prevention education to students at Binghamton University.

A spin class at FitSpace.

GROUP FITNESS INTERNS

Campus Recreational Services trains, certifies and hires students to teach group fitness classes. The internships include information on the essentials of exercise, basic anatomy and kinesiology, nutrition, body composition, injury prevention, cueing and choreography. Group fitness can improve physical health and social connection.

PERSONAL TRAINING INTERNS

Campus Recreational Services trains, certifies and hires students to become personal trainers. The internships include information on the essentials of exercise, anatomy, exercise programming, coaching and client motivation. Personal trainers can help you meet your fitness goals.

THE ADMISSIONS CENTER, A ONE-STOP SHOP

STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEES

CAMPUS RECREATION PROGRAM ADVISORY BOARD

The Campus Recreation Program Advisory Board provides suggestions to the department for program planning, operations and initiatives, and assists in developing the highest possible quality of life to meet the diverse needs of the University community.

STUDENT HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Student Health Advisory Committee works to enhance the health and wellness programs available to students through the Decker Student Health Services Center, the University Counseling Center, and Health Promotion and Prevention Services.

HEALTHY CAMPUS INITIATIVE

The goal of Binghamton University’s Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) is to create an environment and identity that encourages and supports healthy living. Improving the health and well-being of our community and its members improves students’ capacity to learn, reduces some of the high-impact impediments to academic performance, improves student retention by improving coping strategies and psychological health, and sets the stage for lifelong healthy living. Workplace wellness for faculty and staff can positively impact employee health and job satisfaction, boost engagement and enhance productivity, resulting in greater employee retention and institutional cost savings.

CARE CONNECTIONS

CARE Connections is an open, drop-in space for students to connect with the CARE Team, other campus resources, off-campus organizations/ agencies and fellow students for informative, fun and engaging conversations and activities.

UCC LIASION PROGRAM

The University Counseling Center liaison program creates formalized ongoing relationships with various campus and community partners in order to improve students’ emotional and psychological wellbeing and to educate constituents about UCC services, open pathways for access, reduce barriers for referrals and build relationships that help navigate complicated issues.

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID CERTIFICATION

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches individuals how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training provides the skills needed to reach out with initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem, or who is experiencing a crisis. Lay or “ordinary people” are trained to be better prepared to assess for risk of suicide or harm, to be nonjudgmental, to reassure and provide resources, and to encourage appropriate professional services, self-help and support strategies.

JED CAMPUS ALUMNI

A comprehensive mental health promotion and suicide prevention program for colleges and universities named for a young man who died by suicide, the JED process involves self-assessments, consultation and meetings, and post-program assessments. Binghamton achieved alumni status in 2019.

PARTNERSHIP FOR A HEALTHIER AMERICA

Binghamton University was one of the initial 20 campuses nationwide to team up with the Partnership for a Healthier America to meet 23 guidelines as part of the Healthy Campus Initiative aimed at making our nation’s campuses healthier by adopting guidelines around food and nutrition, physical activity and programming.

Over a three-year period, the University successfully met its 23 guidelines by making changes that included providing healthier food and beverage options in dining venues, creating opportunities for physical activity and offering wellness programming on campus.

NAMED A HEALTHIEST CAMPUS

Binghamton was named one of the healthiest colleges in the country twice by Greatist.com. Our Healthy Campus Initiative has also won SUNY Outstanding Student Affairs Programs honors and NASPA recognition.

FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE (FYE)

UNIV 101/UNIV 103 are two-credit seminar courses for first-semester first-year students. UNIV offers a blended course format, team-taught by a faculty member and a professional staff member. The course includes two primary components, one focusing on an interesting academic topic, with the second component devoted to new student transition topics. The team teaching format and combined components allow opportunities for students to explore and discuss specific academic and transition topics, utilize campus resources, develop critical thinking and writing skills, and improve time management.

STUDENTS OF CONCERN COMMITTEE (SOC) AND THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM

The SOC Committee’s goal is to foster early identification of concerns about students. Early review of problematic situations can reduce the impact to students and/or their classroom, social or living environment. The cornerstones of the Binghamton University Threat Assessment Team’s violence prevention and mitigation efforts are education, communication, collaboration, coordination of resources and early intervention.

THE NEW HINMAN DINING HALL

EATING AWARENESS COMMITTEE

The Eating Awareness Committee (EAC) is unique to Binghamton University. Comprised of students, faculty and staff, its mission is to provide education, outreach and resources related to body image, eating disorders, nutrition and fitness. Several educational programs are offered throughout the academic year, as well as continual assessment of the need for and availability of services for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

Students have plenty of healthy food choices.

ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR

Hosted by Binghamton University Dining Services in partnership with Campus Recreational Services and the Healthy Campus Initiative: B-Healthy, this annual fair focuses on the health and wellness resources available to the University community, both on campus and off.