As the first half of a busy semester comes to an end, students will be able to find resources and relief at Cal State Long Beach’s annual health and safety week.
The events are hosted by Living Well at the Beach, a group focused on physical and mental health on campus. It features a variety of workshops and demonstrations to raise awareness of the various health, wellness and safety services available at the university. The remaining events will be organized throughout campus to showcase student resources such as free flu shots, support groups and health-related workshops.
Monday
The first event of the week was the information fair, with groups such as counseling and psychological services, student health services and the campus crime prevention group providing information to attendees. Beach Balance, the group that runs the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, also offered free back massages to students and faculty passing by.
During the information fair, more than 30 college campus groups came together to display how they incorporate health and fitness throughout their university lives, including the surfing, triathlon and social dance clubs from sports and recreation.
In preparation for the fair, Rita Hayes, Director of Club Sports and Recreation talked about the availability of health resources on campus.
“It’s nice for students to see you can get [health resources] anywhere,” Hayes said. “We have something for everyone.”
The university’s special events liaison Shonnick Anderson helped arrange the events. She said students, faculty and staff can get the most out of attending the information fair. According to Anderson, this is an annual event to let everyone attending the campus know how many resources are available for their health and wellness from physical wellness, to mental wellness.
“Some students don’t know about the resources,” Anderson said. “[It’s good] to get insight on how to handle yourself.”
Tuesday
Students will get a chance to enjoy pizza with the University Police in the central quad from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Others will learn how to respond to an active shooter on campus through a Life Safety Crisis Response workshop from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the University Student Union.
Wednesday
Sextival, a sex positive event with a carnival theme, will be hosted at the Speaker’s Platform to give participants tips on how to enjoy healthy and safe sex.
Liberal studies major Candy Hernandez mentioned the importance of talking about sex and how Sextival is integral in facilitating discussion on the topic.
“As a society we think of sex as taboo but I’ve noticed people are more open about it,” Hernandez said. “It’s important for us to be informed about sex, especially college-age students. It’s something everyone’s doing.”
For those who want to learn about nutrition and how to incorporate healthy food into their diet there’s Eating By The Rainbow, a workshop promoted by professor of hospitality management and host of Libby’s Kitchen on Beach TV, Libby Gustin. The event will be at 12:30 p.m. in the Manhattan Beach Room at the University Student Union. Gustin will be sharing information on how to get in important nutrients each week.
Thursday
The Great American ShakeOut, an earthquake drill hosted internationally at 10:19 a.m., will teach everyone how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold on” in the event of an earthquake.
Friday
Students on campus will get the chance to enjoy smoothies from Smooth Sailing and learn how to better manage stress in PSY-148 since students aren’t usually on campus Fridays. The workshop will take place from noon to 1 p.m.
“We want everyone to come out to know that we’re here to support you while you work or attend [CSULB] so you are healthy and safe,” said Anderson.
