Greek Life created MIGHT week to help mental health awareness among students. Graphic by Elizabeth Wong.
University of Rhode Island Greek life promoted mental health awareness virtually with Mental Health Gets Heard Today (MIGHT) Week this year starting Nov. 1.
This week-long initiative was used to promote wellness practices and activities to URI students part of the Greek community, with a different theme every day, including Mental Health Monday, Treat Yourself Tuesday, Workout Wednesday and Try-it Thursday. Each day consisted of different social media posts that provided information on mental health services on and off campus, ways students can prioritize their health and well-being and tips for bettering their daily routines.
Due to the limitations the Rhode Island Department of Health and the URI COVID-19 safety guidelines enforce on large group gatherings, MIGHT Week activities were moved fully online this year. Some examples include interactive workout videos for Workout Wednesday and offering a discount code for a $10 healthy snack on Snackpass, an app for contactless mobile order pick-up and delivery.
Although past years’ events like yoga and tie dye couldn’t take place, Greek Life Wellness, who organized the event, were able to educate students and community members on mental health statistics amongst college students, bring attention to different mental illnesses, show the benefits of working out and more. In collaboration with URI Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council (IFC), Greek Life Wellness serves to improve the health and well-being of the URI community.
Kaylee Collins, Conrad Williams and Jules Matyas, members of the URI Greek Life Wellness Team, believe that their message, along with the entirety of the wellness division of Greek life, are especially important during this stressful time.
“We started planning over the summer for MIGHT Week,” Collins, who also serves as the Panhellenic Council’s vice president of education, said. “We were back and forth about what we could do to get the message out there. We thought an Instagram would be the best way to do it because everyone today pretty much has an Instagram. Everyone follows URI Greek life, so if we got the message out to Panhellenic to follow our specific branch, we thought it would be the best way to communicate with Greek life.”
The Instagram account, @uri_greeklife_wellness, is used as the main platform to promote wellness events, advice and mental health services. Because of the pandemic, Collins said most of the team’s initiatives will most likely be through social media moving forward.
“I feel like we would’ve never done [MIGHT Week] if COVID didn’t happen … it all ended up working for the better,” she said.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the mental health chairs of Greek life would send out weekly messages on different mental health tips, and the inspiration for a more interactive platform stemmed from this, according to Collins.
“We’re probably going to add onto the Instagram, but I feel like it’s definitely going to be good for the future mental health chairs to be able to have and utilize,” Collins said. “I know we’re setting the bar, but they can push it and make it better; it’s only the beginning.”
Williams, the health and wellness chair of the IFC, said social media is the best way to reach people nowadays, and hopes the account can be a safe space for all URI students.
“It’s a way for the community to see a nice, beautiful aesthetic page and get tips to go on [with] their days during quarantine and all this pandemic life,” Williams said. “It’s a way to make sure they get to see at least one happy, motivating post in their content when looking through social media.”
Mia Wilkerson, a member of URI’s Alpha Xi Delta sorority, said she appreciated the concern URI showed towards student’s mental health through MIGHT Week.
“I actually did learn a lot about the Counseling Center and the different resources on campus,” Wilkerson said. “Overall, I think the initiative was great.”
Matyas, health and wellness chair of URI’s Panhellenic Council, said the overall opportunity she’s had to educate Greek life and the general student population, has been rewarding in more ways than one.
“Meeting new community members and getting to know different ideas and perspectives has just been a great experience,” Maytas said.
Greek Life Wellness will continue posting motivational reminders and tips for healthy living on their Instagram account throughout the year.