Student fees pay off

The tuition. The meal plan. The books.

After paying for the normal college necessities, mandatory student fees seem like a real rip-off.

What may seem like just another fee to add on the tuition bill actually provides a wealth of free events and services that many students don't realize.

Besides funding recreational activities such as intramurals and athletics, UB clubs and organizations, and other events on campus, the fee provides a variety of health and wellness services for students to utilize.

The Wellness and Health Services, as well as the Counseling services offer free appointments, workshops and events to improve physical and emotional health as well as wellness in a college atmosphere.

Sherri Darrow, director of Wellness Services, spoke about the mission of her program as well as some its upcoming events.

"As people become more workers and less students and as they leave the university, it is important to think about how to carry principles of health and wellness into the workplace," she said. "Students have a particular opportunity, and it's a critical time in people's lives. Long-term health problems can be prevented."

Darrow helps provide an abundance of educational resources to students, including residence hall programs, workshops, and classroom lectures on a variety of topics from sexual health to stress management.

Darrow also said that she tries to keep the information relevant to college-aged students.

"We figure out what the priorities are every year according to what the students tell us and according to national trends," she said.

In addition, Wellness Services provides a number of activities to keep UB entertained and fit. In the near future are bike rides, hikes, a paddling excursion and an African drum circle.

On September 20, Wellness teams with Multicultural Affairs to host an interactive panel dialogue called "Hooking Up, Having Sex, Making Love" as part of Gender Week.

While students may seek out the Wellness Center to get physically fit, they can head to UB's Counseling Services to get emotionally healthy.

Sharon Mitchell, director of counseling, said that each year 1,100 students use their counseling services alone, not including those who attend their workshops and lectures. These students get help dealing with anything from emotional stress to just needing someone to talk to.

"We offer individual therapy, couples therapy, psycho-educational workshops and programs, and we also service mental health consultants for the campus," Mitchell said. "Consultation may involve helping someone figure out how to express their concerns and educate the person about our resources or other resources on or off campus that might be helpful to the student in distress."

Counseling Services' staff consists of psychologists and social workers as well as a department of those earning their degrees in counseling. Like the Wellness Center, Counseling Services strive to improve the quality of life for students on campus while at the same time being available to anyone.

"We have three major functions," Mitchell said. "The first is counseling, the second is psycho-educational programming, and the third is mental health consultation."

Some upcoming workshops offered by Counseling Services include building friendships, coping with long-distance relationships, and dealing with test anxiety.

Finally, UB's Health Center offers free quality medical services to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Katherine Hazen, a senior mathematics major, has visited UB's health center several times.

"They're always very friendly and I've never had a bad experience there," she said. "The appointment was always the same day or the next day. It's nice not to go off campus and know that you can go there and get services for free, without going to the hospital and worrying about medical insurance."

Even students who have just recently learned of the student services offered at UB think that they're a worthwhile use of money.

"I think that many students are unaware of how the money in their comprehensive fee is spent," said Elizabeth Hamm, a junior undecided major. "More students should take advantage of its services and educational opportunities."

For more information visit the Wellness Center at 114 Student Union, Counseling Services at Richmond 120 or the Student Health Center in Michael Hall on South Campus.