March is Healthy Relationships Month, which can feel like a welcome opportunity to explore as it is a topic that’s not quite as heavy as February’s Stalking Awareness Month. It is a topic we could all spend a few extra minutes on this month. Whether we’re single or in a relationship, or whether we prefer labels or ambiguity, we all deserve safe, respectful, functional relationships with the people who choose to include in our lives.
A Student Perspective: I’ve been volunteering as an ACES Peer Health Educator at the Center for Campus Wellness for upwards of two years now and if Tayler pre-ACES were to see Tayler now, they would not even recognize themselves. One major change I’ve felt has been feeling the confidence to make important decisions about my own wellness.
Survey fatigue... it’s real. It’s the reason why—every time I call my bank and the automated voice says, “Say ‘yes’ to take a brief survey after your call”—I hold my breath and wait quietly for a live customer service agent to break the silence.
The first six months of the pandemic were all about getting my bearings. For someone who used to spend thirteen-hour days on campus, (shout out to the Union sushi for providing 1/3 of my diet) --between class, club meetings, and naps on the Bennion Center couches--the transition to full days spent in my 750 square ft apartment overhauled everything I knew about myself.
January is Stalking Awareness Month and it’s good timing for us to be addressing this serious issue. As you may have seen in recent reports, rates of stalking have increased significantly on our campus and in the community.