Fresh Check Day encourages students to assess their mental health. Graphic by Elizabeth Wong.
The University of Rhode Island’s fifth-annual Fresh Check Day in honor of mental health awareness will be held this year, but students can expect a virtual, and just as interactive experience.
The event, scheduled for Oct. 14, has previously taken place in a carnival-like set up of booths, showcasing different on-campus organizations and activities to promote the importance of mental health. This year, however, it will be held virtually over Facebook Live. Faculty, staff and students taking part in the event are determined to convey the same positive energy they do each year on Fresh Check Day.
“Although it is virtual, everyone’s done an exceptional job making it interactive for all students wherever they are,” Karen Jennings Mathis, assistant professor in the College of Nursing, said.
Amy Albert, URI’s community engagement coordinator, has facilitated the day for the past two years since she began working at the University in 2018.
“Fresh Check Day is really a chance for college students to check in around mental health and wellness,” Albert said. “The whole point of the fair is to have students connect with different departments and student organizations on campus all surrounding suicide prevention and mental health awarness and work on the destigmatization of mental health, as well as how students can support themselves and those around them.”
One of the booths that is set up every year at Fresh Check Day is called the “nine-out-of-ten booth.” The booth gets its name from the statistic that one out of every ten college-age students contemplates suicide. This booth engages students in conversations about working towards being one of the nine-in-ten, about being one of the students who reaches out and offers help to those they know are struggling and getting help if they are struggling themselves. Albert said she plans on incorporating this booth into the Facebook Live in a way that allows it to still have the same impact it has had on students in the past years.
Some of the departments that take part in hosting a booth for Fresh Check Day include the College of Nursing, URI’s Counseling Center, URI’s Psychological Consultation Center and S.A.V.E.S. (Students Actively Volunteering and Engaging in Service).
Jennings Mathias is running a booth titled, “elephant in the room” for the second time this year.
Her booth aims at allowing students to anonymously share their “elephant in the room,” or mental health struggles in order to understand that they are not alone. In doing this, they may possibly find other anonymous posts that they can relate to.
In past years this booth has been done using post-it notes stuck to the wall, however this year Jennings Mathias is planning on using an application called Flip Link that allows students to post virtual post-it notes to a message board.
Though Fresh Check Day will look different this year, Jennings Mathias believes it is just as important to host for students due to the effects that the pandemic has had on many.
“I feel like students are in silos and can be overwhelmed by classes, social life and extra curricular activities,” Jennings Mathias said. “It’s good to take a step back. And I think it’s beneficial for students to not only see what’s in the community, but to also encourage them to seek out what they need and see that their peers are going through something similar. It’s important for students to have a place to check in when we’re in this sensitive time period and see how to find the good.”