The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Recreation and Wellness Center

  • Check It volunteering

    Check It volunteering

    By | Lauren Shea

    It’s about creating a safe community where students can look out for each other.

    The Check it program was created at HSU to prevention acts of sexual assault in the community. It’s a student led movement to encourage us with acting against sexual assault and to create a presence of power that sexual violence is unacceptable and not welcomed here. Check it helps teach students of the community to recognize sexual violence and how you can prevent and stop it.

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    Student volunteers making Check it supplies in the Rec and Wellness Center. Photo credit: Lauren Shea

    Marco Gonzalez, senior at HSU, the Volunteer Coordinator for Check it.

    “My experience with Check it has been throughout my whole time spent at HSU,” Gonzalez said. “Being able to see the change from when I was a freshman to now is just incredible.”

    Skye Peredo, a student at HSU, the Media Development Coordinator for Check it.

    “It’s been great volunteering with Check it,” Peredo said. “This movement was created by the students and for the students. Check it has helped spread confidence to people and to notice harm making the campus feel safer.

    Anyone can volunteer with Check it. The volunteer drop in hours are 4pm-6pm on Fridays in the Rec and Wellness Center drop in lounge. Through this program and volunteer opportunities, students can learn more about ways to check it.

    Jayda Kosar, senior at HSU, the Event and Presentation Coordinator for Check it.

    “It’s been great working on the program and expanding it for more people to learn about it,” Kosar said. “Incoming freshman already know about Check it before they’re even on campus.”

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    Student volunteers also attend the Check It Volunteer team retreat on Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum. There will be opportunities to participate in campus campaigns and build a better community as well as become part of the movement that Check it has created.

    Check it is also looking for volunteers for the Consent Project. The Consent Project works to create a culture and community where students can talk about how we express consent and how that plays a role in our choices and actions. The project works to create a safe environment on our campus where we can listen to and support other survivors of sexualized violence. The Consent Project meets every Thursday at 5 p.m. until Oct. 5, in the Rec. and Wellness Center room No. 124.

    To register for the volunteer retreat, contact Mary Sue Savage, Prevention Coordinator at: mss62@humboldt.edu

    For more information on Check it, visit: http://www.checkithsu.com/

  • Mellow out with meditation

    Mellow out with meditation

    By  Morgan Brizee

    Learn to de-stress with the One Breath meditation group class

    HSU staff psychologist with a residential life focus, facilitating the One Breath meditation with students. Photo by Morgan Brizee

    A long light grey table split the Recreation and Wellness Center room in half. Students and a staff member were on one side and the facilitator on the other during the One Breath meditation group class on Feb. 1.

    Every Wednesday at 5 p.m., Craig Beeson teaches those who want to learn to destress and wind down. The group is run by Counseling And Psychological Services and is open to the HSU community including students, staff and faculty.

    Beeson is a staff psychologist with a residential life focus and does workshops like One Breath in the resident halls on HSU campus.

    “I noticed when this [One Breath Meditation workshop] was on my mind, preparing for it, I was getting stressed about it,” Beeson said. “This is counterproductive, I’m getting really stressed about a mindfulness presentation.”

    With a new semester starting up again, and most students being far from home, it can be easy to get overwhelmed.

    Karen Zurdta, a 23-year-old English grad student, talked about how coming to this class has taught her to love herself more.

    “I was going through a tough time with school last semester and I got really sad and emotional,” Zurdta said. “I was having problems showing myself love and that I am worthy of good things.”

    Beeson is using the book, “The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion” by Christopher Gerner, to teach the class about not fighting the feelings you have but instead accepting them. The class goes over how to cope with issues from anxiety to insomnia that many students can relate to.

    Matt Cunningham, a 25-year-old senior English major, has been meditating for five years and even went to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Ukiah, Calif. last spring to help with his practice of mindfulness.

    “It’s kind of taught me to think of my thoughts and feelings as senses and to react to them like I would to any other sort of negative stimuli,” Cunningham said. “Mindfulness has helped me address those things more directly in a lot of ways.”

    The class begins with a group discussion of feelings and how to address them in a positive way. After about 30 minutes, Besson directs the group to close their eyes and focus on their individual breathing. He then moves on to telling the group to focus on one body part at a time, relaxing each body part individually, until the group feels their body and mind is calm. Beeson ends class by checking in with each member of the group on how they feel afterwards.

    “We talk about things like how to connect to yourself and live a more present, relaxed life,” Beeson said.