The Department of Student Health Promotions will introduce a new leadership program in fall 2014 that will give students the opportunity to advocate for campus wellness and help the University follow guidelines for the American College Health Association’s recent Healthy Campus 2020 initiative.
According to Stephanie Sobol, the associate director of health promotion at N.C. State, students who participate in this program will tackle issues on campus relating to the ACHA’s goal to promote quality of life, healthy development and intellegent health behaviors on college campuses.
Though the exact name of the position has not been decided yet, Sobol said the position will be called something along the lines of a wellness leadership ambassador.
“These people would be ambassadors for comprehensive wellness,” Sobol said. “It would cover all of the dimensions of wellness, so not only physical, but also emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, environmental and social.”
The pilot group for the program will include 10 to 15 ambassadors. Interested students must fill out an application and go through an interview process before the final group is chosen, Sobol said.
According to Sobol, even though the program will be housed within Student Health, these health ambassadors will be working with offices and student groups all across campus in order to accomplish a broad range of wellness goals.
Within the program, there will be different groups of students who will concentrate on advocating for wellness within the dimension that most interests them while also using their unique skills to help achieve goals, Sobol said.
Sobol said if a student is interested in something such as policy change, research or grassroots movements, they will be able to apply those skills toward wellness projects that interest them specifically.
“We’re thinking like, if it’s service, marketing or research a student wants to do, what objective does that tie back to?” Sobol said. “I don’t want to force anyone into an area that they aren’t interested in. I think that would cause the program to flop.”
According to Sobol, recruitment for these positions will begin in the fall semester, and students in any major or grade level with an interest promoting health and wellness are able to apply.
“We’re really trying to be out-of-the-box thinkers when trying to make our campus a healthier campus,” Sobol said.
While the specific budget for the program is still being worked out, Sobol said the possibility of the positions being paid is still on the table.
“I don’t want anybody to think of it as a job, but is there at least a way to acknowledge the students who take that extra step to be a leader?” Sobol said. “Maybe that is not an hourly wage, maybe it’s just a stipend to acknowledge the work that they are doing. The budget has still yet to be defined.”
Patrick Povinelli, a freshman in the First Year College who attended a focus group discussing the new program, said he thinks the idea of a wellness ambassador seems like a good opportunity, but the ability to get paid would make him much more inclined to apply for the position.
“It would be addressing an important issue, but I have so much going on in my life already,” Povinelli said. “I think I would be much more committed if it was a job instead of another extracurricular.”
Sobol said, regardless of pay, the wellness ambassadors will gain valuable leadership and professional experience through their work in the program.
“Within this program there will be opportunities to earn certifications and possibly attend conferences to help students grow their own professional development,” Sobol said.
Sobol said she thinks this program is a great opportunity for students to begin to address critical issues that are facing the United States today.
“If you look across our country, if you just look at healthcare reform and if you look at public health, this society needs some attention,” Sobol said. “This is a great way to start those changes on a grassroots level here at State.”
