Health, Wellbeing, & Safety

Starting at the Bottom Level & Elevating the Student Voice. We propose utilizing a primary prevention framework to combat cultural norms present in William & Mary culture. This would include emphasizing education and resources aimed at preventing sexual violence, physical violence, substance abuse, hazing, and mental health struggles. To ensure this, we propose the elevation and/or creation of RSOs to create and administer educational materials, presentations, and programming. This student group would push for administrative transparency and provide a student voice on advisory boards.

See: Primary Prevention on Campus UCSB Pyramid

RSO Requirements. Similar to current guidelines in place within Fraternity & Sorority Life and Athletics, we propose creating ways to ensure that RSOs are receiving training/presentations once every academic year. This requirement would additionally ask RSOs to have something written in their Constitution akin to a ‘Prevention Plan' for instances of violence or hate speech in their spaces. This would also assist RSOs in making sure that they are maintaining safe behaviors and creating a culture that supports bystander intervention. 

See: Texas Tech Risk Management Guide, CDC Recommendations

Progress on the NARCAN Initiative. College students are at a higher risk of encountering and abusing drugs. We promise to continue the NARCAN Initiative with the Office of Health Promotion and work on an educational campaign on ways to prevent and respond to overdose with the help of student leaders. We congratulate and commend the students that have worked hard on this project over the past year-your work does not go unrecognized. 

See: Oakland University UNC Chapel Hill

Safer Crosswalks and Bike Lanes. We plan to maintain a Pedestrian Safety initiative to bring safe and sustainable pedestrian infrastructure to campus in combination with an educational campaign released to students and the broader Williamsburg community. As the Secretary of Health & Safety, Terra has already begun conversations about these changes with the President's Office and passionate student leaders. Our traffic safety must be improved, and we will ensure that this project remains afloat. 

See: Pedestrian Safety Infrastructure Ideas, VCU Study

Alarms and Tribe Alerts. Do you have any idea why alarms are going off around campus without ever receiving a TribeAlert message? Yeah, we don’t either. We plan to work with the Emergency Management Team to ensure TribeAlerts are going out to notify students of whether or not alarms are to be taken seriously. Your safety and peace of mind matters—even during false alarms or university practice drills.

A More Inclusive Rec Center! We propose working with Campus Recreation to expand the classes and programs currently provided to create opportunities for students of diverse cultural or gender identities, beyond just the current offering of “Women in the Weight Room.” While this program is amazing (and we would love to see this continue)m we would love to see it expand to include more students. In addition, we propose an integration of Recreation and Wellness programs to help students understand the connection between mental and physical wellness. We propose joint classes or courses for students aiming to explore the connection between multiple facets of wellness. 

See: Creating an Inclusive Rec

Alternatives to Talk-Therapy. We propose emphasizing funded alternatives to in-person Counseling Center therapy services, showcasing all the various ways that students can receive the care they need on or off-campus (ex. amplifying the benefits of TimelyCare, Art Therapy, Pet Therapy, and Mindfulness Meditation Practice). Often, these alternative practices have different added benefits that students may not realize until they try them! 

See: TimelyCare, Art Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation

Contraceptive Access & Reproductive Healthcare. We will continue to support the Senate in funding/subsidizing menstrual products, STI/STD testing, pregnancy testing, Plan B, and contraceptives. In addition, we will investigate expanding this program to include sustainable menstrual products, PrEP, and alternative contraceptives. 

See resources on: Zero Waste Period Products--Pitt PrEP Alternative Contraceptives

Let’s Talk about Safe Sex! We propose pairing these initiatives with educational campaigns surrounding sexual and reproductive health, equipping every student with the tools to safely engage in sexual and romantic relationships. This would include topics that are frequently left out of Sexual Education programs (i.e. queer sexuality, romantic and sexual attraction spectrums, different forms of contraception, etc.). We would aim to partner with students already doing this amazing work and expand its reach!

See: Impact of Sex Ed on Campuses