Healthy Campus
There are many reasons Oakland University is positioned to provide a healthy campus culture for its students, faculty and staff, and the campus community. Supportive leadership of health and well-being, which began prior to 2010, has been instrumental in having a continual and growing healthy campus initiative over the years. In addition, Oakland University:
- Provides a robust health insurance structure for employees
- Is a smoke free campus
- Provides recreation center access to benefits-eligible employees and students with one paid credit hour each semester
- Has achieved a safest campus distinction
- Is LGBTQIA+ friendly
- Operates energy efficient facilities and provides access to campus sidewalks
- Entertains private and public donors and sponsors who want to and have invested in current and future initiatives
Transcript
Hi. I'm Cortney Heileman, and I'm the assistant director for Fitness and Wellness with Recreation and Well-Being. We'd like to welcome you to campus to ensure that Open University places a high value on student success and is committed to providing a healthy campus culture for all students, faculty, and staff. Resources and opportunities are available to support students through their academic journey and to help them navigate everyday challenges and maintain a healthy life balance. Many campus departments play a role in supporting a student's well being, but several lead the way in providing specific health and well being assistance, such as the Dean of Students Office, University Recreation well being, Graham Health Center, and the OU Counseling Center. The Dean of Students Office provides guidance and support when situations impact a student's ability to succeed academically or socially. The office manages the student emergency fund connecting students to mental health and well being services and oversees the bereavement process, medical situations, and withdrawals. When an unforeseen situation occurs for a student, the dean of students office provides a team for advocacy between students, faculty, staff, and the OU community. This advocacy includes policies such as the student code of conduct, academic misconduct, Title 9, and potential threats to the campus community. Additional departments provide health and well being support for students. Some of the support includes helping with study skills, providing small group therapy sessions, food and clothing in securities, assisting with classroom and housing accommodations, as well as a strong presence from the OU police department all throughout campus. University recreation and well being offers every student with one paid credit hour, access to the recreation facility. With an average of over 109 open hours each week during the fall and winter semesters, students can participate in group exercise classes, utilize personal training services, or join a Rec Well sport for physical fitness and fun. Rec Well also offers club sports as a way for students to engage in competitive activities while well being programs include many workshops and activities to both engage and educate students. The Graham Health Center and OU Counseling Center are located within the same building, making it very easy for students to receive comprehensive care. At the Graham Health Center, students have an on campus solution for affordable, high quality healthcare services, offering preventative care, plus assessments, diagnosis, and treatments for most other healthcare needs. Referrals to local providers are offered when necessary. Students can access care Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM through appointments or walk in service. Many over the counter remedies are available, and some prescription medications may be available for a nominal fee from our dispensary. All students are encouraged to log into the Graham Health Center, secure patient portal to update their profile and personal information in addition to entering medications, allergies, personal health history, and an official immunization record. All students should have a copy of their insurance card, as well as having it on file in the portal. OU will not turn students away from care even when the Graham Health Center is not in network with a student's insurance. There are various programs for low, reduced or no cost healthcare services, and reduced costs are available for common medications, laboratory testing, and visit fees for uninsured students and out of network insurances. The Counseling Center provides high quality mental health services to help students overcome emotional challenges, meet their intellectual, interpersonal, and developmental goals, and aid students in the development of coping skills. Licensed mental health professionals provide short term individual confidential counseling, walk in crisis counseling sessions, and a variety of weekly, small group therapy opportunities. Both the Graham Health Center and the Counseling Center also connect students to donor supported emergency funds, which offer support for health care situations. In addition, the university provides Uwill a 24 hour seven days a week year round mental health crisis line for both residential and commuter students. OU and its staff and faculty are dedicated to the health and well being of its students. Additional free opportunities to engage in healthy behaviors and to support one another include mental health First Aid Training, the Green Bandana Project, safety training, academic and residential wellness check ins and many others. Check out the healthy campus website to learn more and become an advocate for your student or yourself in supporting student success at OU.
