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The Wellness in the Classroom newsletter is returning from a few months’ hiatus. For this issue, we’d like to highlight a best practice by Michelle Durden, a faculty member who participated in last year’s Wellness in the Classroom Faculty Learning Community. Additional strategies related to flexibility are suggested below.
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Flexible Deadlines
By Michelle Durden, Lecturer, Sociology
The Wellness in the Classroom Faculty Learning Community has allowed me to reflect on how I can contribute to student wellness. One strategy I have been working on to reduce student stress and anxiety is to give students more flexibility with deadlines and to be generous with extensions. Assignments are open from the beginning of the semester, and there is a two-week grace period between when they are “due” and when they close. When students ask for extensions, I always grant them, and I generally give them two more weeks to complete the work. This gives them at least one class where they can rearrange due dates to better fit their school and work schedules. Students have told me how much they appreciate this, particularly those who have experienced major life events such as an illness, a death in the family, or a new job. This is especially true if their other professors have strict deadlines. In addition to reducing stress, it has also helped their scholastic performance. For some it has made the difference between passing and failing. For others, it has allowed them to be successful when they might otherwise have turned in mediocre work that did not reflect their abilities.
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Michelle Durden was born in Sacramento and moved to the California gold country at age 8. She has been teaching sociology for 20 years, and has been teaching at Sacramento State as a lecturer in the Sociology Department since 2008. She teaches classes on writing, social psychology, self & identity, gender & sexuality, and race & ethnicity, with an emphasis on social justice.
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Announcements
April Wellness Ambassador Training
The Wellness Ambassador program prepares faculty and staff to respond to students who are facing basic needs, mental health or unique crisis or challenges. This is a hybrid workshop, with half of the content presented through video that must be watched prior to the workshop. The second half of the training is a 4-hour hands-on workshop. There are both in person and virtual options for the workshop portion. Participants will walk away with a certificate, crisis support handbook, and email signature mark indicating they are a Wellness Ambassador. All Sac State Faculty and Staff are welcome to sign up.
This certificate program will guide participants through the resources that are available on campus, provide tools for effectively responding to students in crisis, and walk through how to make appropriate referrals. Participants will have the opportunity to do a deep dive into crisis support and learn from critical support areas of campus. As our students return to campus, they need support more than ever and this training will support faculty and staff in being fully prepared to meet the needs of students as they arise. Light refreshments will be offered during the in-person trainings. This training is hosted by the CARES office; questions can be sent to cares@csus.edu.
Sessions:
Tuesday, April 12, 8am-12pm (in-person)
Friday, April 15, 8am-12pm (virtual)
CALL FOR ARTISTS: Our Voices Will Be Heard - art exhibit
The University Union Gallery and Student Health & Counseling Services is excited to present a new art exhibit: Our Voices Will Be Heard, featuring the work of Sacramento State students. This exhibit is an artistic expression of empowerment for survivors of sexual violence created by survivors, allies and those who need support. Submissions accepted March 28-31. Click HERE for more information on submitting art.
Out of the Darkness Walk April 14th
Sacramento State’s Active Minds Sac State Chapter, Student Health and Counseling Services, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Sacramento Chapter are proud to host the 11th Annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk for Suicide Prevention. Join us on April 14th at 5:30pm in front of The WELL to remember and honor those we have lost to suicide, spread awareness of this critical topic, and normalize the conversation around suicide and seeking help when needed. Together, we can bring this topic out of the darkness and into the light to support our Hornet Family. Register yourself or a team HERE.
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Strategies*
- Allow students to retake tests if your discipline allows
- Seek feedback from students throughout the semester. This could be done through Zoom polls or set up in Qualtrics. [Comment Card Example]
- Consider providing students with lecture notes or slides ahead of class, and providing lecture recordings (particularly helpful for ESL students so they have more opportunities to work through the rate of speech during lectures)
The full Wellness in the Classroom toolkit may be found here.
*Adapted from Simon Fraser University’s “Well-Being in Learning Environments” program.
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Self-Care
While self-care is only one element of preventing professional burnout, it is an element we have some control over. Try adding regular self-care to your calendar, downloading an app that provides helpful reminders (like Aloe Bud), or assessing whether there are areas of your life where you could set healthy boundaries.
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Events
Mar 17 – Yoga Night, 7-8:30pm, University Union Ballroom
Mar 21-25 – Alternative Spring Break activities [Register]
Mar 25 – Free rentals for Sac State students, 8am-5:45pm, Sac State Aquatic Center
Mar 28 – Women Empowering Women, 12-1pm, Women’s Resource Center
Mar 28 – Monday Movie Night, 6-8pm, Zoom and PRIDE Center [Register]
Mar 29 – Here to Career: Job & Internship Search, 1:30-2:30pm
Mar 29 – Healthy Mind Talks, 5-6pm, Round Table Pizza in the Union
Mar 30 – Health & Wellness Resource Fair 12-2pm, Library Quad
Mar 30 – Queer Connect, 1-2pm, Zoom and PRIDE Center
Apr 4 – Women Empowering Women, 12-1pm, Women’s Resource Center
Apr 4 – Free Grocery Pop-Up, 10:30am-1:30pm, Library Quad
Apr 4-28 – Our Voices Will Be Heard art exhibit, University Union Gallery
Apr 5 – Hornet Nights Virtual Trivia, 7-7:45pm, [Register]
Apr 6 – Queer Connect, 1-2pm, Zoom and PRIDE Center
Apr 6 – River Clean Up, 1-3pm, Guy West Bridge
Apr 6 – Here to Career: How to Rock Your Interview, 1:30-2:30pm
Apr 6 – Free Friday: Yoga Day Hike, 5-6pm, American River Parkway
Apr 14 – Out of the Darkness Campus Walk, 5-8pm, [Register]
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"It is widely accepted that health and well-being are essential elements for effective learning."
El Ansari & Stock, 2010
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The "Wellness in the Classroom: Faculty Influence on Student Wellbeing and Success" project seeks to provide faculty with the tools and resources to create conditions for student wellbeing and optimal learning in the classroom.
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