In the spirit of personal well-being and relaxation in a stressful college environment, the Counseling, Health, and Wellness center teamed up with Lambda Upsilon Lambda, La Unidad Latina, Fraternity incorporated, and Lambda Theta Alpha, Latin Sorority incorporated, on September 20, to sponsor a successful wellness event that attracted large crowds. Running at a nighttime slot of 7:30 to 10 p.m., this event catered to the residents on campus.

In the spacious confines of the Multipurpose room in University Commons, there were a variety of activities and experiences at the Thursday nighttime  event that appealed to a diverse audience: massages, henna, free food, coloring, and informational stations, to name a few. However, the main draw of the event was a paint party, where individuals had the opportunity to draw a peaceful picture of a beach at sunset. A coordinator assisted the students and made a step-by-step template painting as individuals painted their picture.

There were long lines for massages and henna, a type of non-permanent hand tattoo. In this type of body art, one could get a pattern etched on their hands. Coloring is a stress reliever and was an important component of the event, situated between the paint party and the entrance to the room.

A popular choice for food was churros, which were all gone within the first thirty minutes of the event.

The Peer Health Advocates are a group of committed students that act as a resource for informing students about making good health decisions. They also helped sponsor the event, answering questions that students had.  Prizes were available for students who answered questions about stress and health correctly. One could also pick up informative pamphlets about the following: nutrition, alcohol, stress, drugs, sexual health, and more.

The efforts of the organizations in putting this event together helped create a strong turnout for the event. The importance of balancing work and relaxation is paramount to a student’s success in college.