October 10, 2025
As part of a campuswide effort to promote health and well-being, Oakland University’s Healthy Campus Network will host a health and well-being event from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, in the Oakland Center Founders Ballroom.
With a theme of “Embracing Health, Igniting Change,” the event will offer a variety of hands-on activities – sustainable gardening, cardio drumming, nutritious cooking demonstrations, self-reflection exercises and more – to educate participants about all aspects of health and well-being.
According to Becky Lewis, director of University Recreation and Well-Being and chair of OU’s Healthy Campus Network, the event will teach students, faculty and staff about the five areas of well-being: physical, mental, social, environmental and financial.
“For Oakland to be a healthy campus, it starts with leadership and involves all of us,” Lewis said. “We all need to be educated on the different areas of well-being, and how they all intersect and play a key role in our overall health. Well-being thrives through active participation in diverse opportunities across all areas of wellness.”
To show their commitment to OU adopting a healthy campus mindset, event participants will have the opportunity to sign the Commitment Wall and take photos with friends and the Grizz.
Upon signing, they will receive a free “I Commit To A Healthy Campus” T-shirt for committing to work on personal well-being, and support peers and colleagues in making OU’s campus a healthier place to learn, play and grow.
During the event, OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz will formally adopt the Okanagan Charter, a document that encourages colleges and universities to be leaders in developing and modeling health-promoting strategies in their campus settings.
By committing to be a health-promoting institution, Oakland University will join an international movement addressing one of higher education’s most important imperatives.
Studies such as the Spring 2025 National College Health Assessment show that college students are facing a wide range of challenges related to health and well-being.
The assessment, which surveyed 65,950 students at 97 U.S. institutions, found that 35.5% of students reported having ever been diagnosed by a health care professional with an anxiety condition. Other findings included:
- In the last 30 days, 21.5% of students reported not having eaten when hungry because there wasn’t enough money for food.
- 4% of students reported that one or more chronic condition(s) negatively impacted their academic performance in the last 12 months.
- 1% of students reported feeling “somewhat safe” on campus at night.
“College can present many stressors, and it’s important to know how to manage them in a healthy way,” said Lewis. “That’s what this event is all about – giving people a chance to sample some of the tools that can help them maintain their well-being and engage in supporting one another in their journey of managing or maintaining their health.”
For more information about the health and well-being event, visit oakland.edu/healthycampus.