“To make it Internet official, I am now back together with my boyfriend, Clark. We’ve been on-and-off for the last few semesters, but I’ve been spending so much time with him over the last few days that it’s becoming difficult for me to hide my true feelings. My current Facebook relationship has no idea though, so I’d appreciate if you just kept this to yourself.”
To make it Internet official, the stress of finals has gotten to me. And, conveniently, U.Va. has named most of it’s libraries after men, which makes it even easier for me to pretend I have time for a relationship. But thankfully, I have Student Council to provide me with a few treasured moments of procrastination as I write this, and I hope you all have the chance to get caught up on all that the Safety & Wellness Committee has done this semester!
To put it lightly, we’ve been busy. Lawnies may attest that all we do is run around asking them for pictures in their lush bathrobes (we all have Mary Kate Steinbeck to thank for such a wonderful scavenger hunt), but every Monday at 7pm, we’ve been coming together to plan events that continue to benefit the health and safety of the entire University community.
-In September, we organized SAFE Day, which gave new first-year students the chance to learn more about organizations at U.Va. that focus on health and safety. Almost 400 students were able to talk candidly with members of Hoos Ready, One in Four, and the Charlottesville Police Department, and the free Arch’s was definitely appreciated, as always!
-Although we were rained out during Homecomings Week (shout out to Ben Powell, once again, for the incredible work he did to make that week such a success), Safety & Wellness and Athletic Affairs collaborated to put on the Cavalier Combine, a football (and soccer) fitness event. On a cold Friday afternoon in November, students ventured out to Nameless Field to see how fast they could sprint, how far they could punt, and how enthusiastically they could celebrate a touchdown, appropriately judged by Virginia cheerleaders. Personally, my 40-yard dash time improved by nearly half a minute! (I might’ve walked it the first time…)
-My co-chair, the currently crippled Edward Jenkins, and I have the amazing opportunity to serve as the student representatives to the University’s Security and General Safety Committee, alongside representatives from the Office of Emergency Preparedness, the University Police Department, Risk Management, P&T, the Architect’s Office, Environmental Health & Safety, Facilities Management, and the Women’s Center. By serving on this committee, we’ve learned so much about the University and all it does to ensure the safety of its students, and we’ve also been involved in conversations on issues that deal directly with students, such as bike safety and lighting around Grounds.
-As we look to next semester, we are planning a Police and EMT Forum (perhaps with a special guest appearance by Dean Groves!), tentatively for Wednesday, February 15th at 7pm (Until 30 seconds ago, it was listed as 7am on my iCal. Yea, that’s not happening.). Stay tuned for a location! We are also planning a Safety & Wellness Leadership Conference for Sunday, February 26th, during which we plan to bring together leaders of safety-related organizations, as well as University administration and members of the Charlottesville community, in hopes of increasing the communication between these groups to lead to more effective health- and safety-related campaigns. It’s still in the works, but we’re getting excited to see how it comes together!
-And finally, as indicated by the title of this post (please notice that it is about food, yet again (it’s a gift, I know)), S&W is closing out the semester with free food during exam time! If you’re in Clemons on Sunday, December 11th at 8:30pm, come up to the 4th floor and get some free apples with peanut butter and hot apple cider, straight from Carter Mountain!
Good luck with the rest of Finals, here is yet another video to aid with the procrastination (Hogwarts: Which House Are You?), and on behalf of Safety & Wellness and the rest of StudCo, have a safe and relaxing winter break!
