Family E-News: Health & Well-being - November 2020
As your student prepares for the semester's conclusion of in-person instruction, know that there are many well-being resources offered virtually and in-person to help them succeed and live well.
Free Coffee you say? “Not many people would turn down free things and that’s exactly what we are hoping for when we roll out the Free Hot Coffee Bike next semester” laughed Joshua Redding who coordinates the Virginia Tech Recovery Community which is a part of Hokie Wellness. The bike, which was born out of a vision at Virginia Commonwealth University, will be the fourth of its kind globally and exists to help change the culture around addiction and recovery. Addiction is something that affects all of us in some capacity or another. Collectively, we can feel as helpless as the people actually suffering from addiction, but there is hope.
It starts with a conversation and in this case coffee, but that’s only the beginning. The coffee will be from Red Rooster Coffee Co. in Floyd VA and offered using the “pour over” style of brewing. This means that patrons will have to wait 4-5 minutes for their coffee to steep through the filter on the way to their cup. During that time, we talk with them about addiction and recovery. Nothing intense or awkward, but often people are really engaged because many of their friends or family may struggle but it’s rarely discussed. “It’s really an intervention that will hopefully work to destigmatize conversations around substance use” continued Redding.
The Virginia Tech version is a “Worksman E-Trike” and is being designed by Professor Martha Sullivan and a team of 3 students from Virginia Tech’s Industrial Design Program. Sullivan said “Initially we had a class project in the Spring of 2020, but with the pandemic the students had to shift to designing it and presenting virtually. They really did a nice job and presented a lot of interesting options for consideration.” Previous versions have all been solely human powered, but the mountainous terrain makes that more difficult.
Hokie Wellness hopes to roll out the bike in the spring semester with some piloted missions before Thanksgiving. The bike will be staffed by those affiliated with the Virginia Tech Recovery Community, either students in recovery or recovery allies who will peddle around campus at various locations to serve up their knowledge and some java. This might possibly be the world’s best cup of coffee.
The Recovery Bike was funded with support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence Grant and supported by Virginia Tech Undergraduate Academic Affairs (Jill Sible, Joan Hawsey) Fralin Life Sciences Institute (Matthew Hulver), HNFE (Deborah Good), Hokie Wellness (Chris Wise, Amy Epperley, Joshua Redding, Monica Stanley), Industrial Design (Martha Sullivan, Aziza Louri, Berkley Huffard, Oriana Nordt), VCU Recovery (Thomas Bannard, John Freyer).
Thankful Three-Miler: November 15
Virginia Tech Recreational Sports is hosting an outdoor run/walk on the VT Cross Country Course on Sunday, November 15th. The Thankful Three-Miler is an in-person event with a staggered start to ensure that safety guidelines are met. Participants will enter the course in groups of 5, every 5 minutes between 1-4 p.m.
Get outside, move, and begin to reflect on the things you are thankful for before Thanksgiving Break. Registration is $20 per person and students and staff signing up will be given the option of the time slot they prefer to start. Participants will receive a long sleeve event t-shirt and there will be raffle prizes that have been generously donated by Runabout Sports in Blacksburg. Once participants have started running/walking on the course, they will be allowed to remove their face covering if they choose.
As part of this event, Recreational Sports is partnering with VT Engage to collect non-perishable food items for two local community partners; Plenty! and Future Economy Collective. Participants are encouraged to bring a food item with them to donate on November 15th. Hokies that want to donate that aren’t participating in the run/walk can bring their food donations to the McComas Hall Lobby during the week of November 15-20.
Registration info can be found here.
Join the Hokie Movement Club!
If your student is looking for motivation to move this semester, Rec Sports is here to help! Virginia Tech students near and far are invited to join the Hokie Movement Club.
Members will record their workouts and engage virtually through a free exercise app called Strava. Using Strava will allow students to log workouts, encourage each other, and compete in Rec Sports led incentive challenges throughout the fall semester.
Hokie Movement Club members will receive a weekly email that sends encouragement, explains the weekly challenge, and will announce the prize winners from the previous week. Rewards will vary but will include JBL Waterproof portable bluetooth speakers, Apple Airpods, Rec Sports group exercise classes and more. All skill and ability levels are encouraged to join.
If interested, click here to sign up. Once students fill out the short interest form, they will receive a welcome email with step-by-step instructions on downloading the free version of the Strava app, joining the club within the app, and how to win incentive prizes.
The first challenge begins on October 7th but students can register at any time. Challenges will vary and can be as simple as logging exercise of any kind 3 days out of the week. Sign up today.
Flu Shots: prevent flu this season
We encourage all students to get their annual flu vaccine!
As the nation continues to fight COVID-19, flu season also is upon us. Now more than ever, getting a flu vaccination shot is critically important. Here’s why:
- Catching the flu can weaken your ability to fight off COVID-19.
- A flu shot is clinically proven to reduce your chances of hospitalization.
- Flu shots are administered with COVID safety precautions.
If your student missed our large flu shot clinic, the injectable flu vaccine is available at Schiffert Health Center by appointment. Students should simply call 540-231-6444 to schedule an appointment with a nurse. The cost is $24.00 which is billed to their student account or students can pay same-day via cash, check, or Hokie Passport.
Traveling home
- Drowsy Driving Prevention Week is November 1 – 8, 2020. As your student prepares to head home for the Thanksgiving Holiday and the remainder of the semester, make sure they are aware of the dangers and help them recognize the signs of drowsy driving. About half of U.S. adult drivers admit to getting behind the wheel while feeling drowsy and those under 25 make-up 50% or more of drowsy driving crashes. Unfortunately, a driver may not know they are fatigued, but the National Safety Council provides some guidelines, recommendations, and interventions to recognize fatigued drivers and reduce drowsy driving.
- The risk of getting and spreading COVID19 increases with travel, but there are steps that you and your student can take before, during, and after travel to minimize this risk. The CDC provides information and tips to help your student travel safely on their way home for the break.
The Cook Counseling Center offers a variety of resources to help students cope with the pandemic. Below are some of the resources:
Coping with Unhelpful Thinking
What we think can influence how we feel and behave. Below are some strategies for identifying and changing unhelpful thinking habits:
Questions about accessibility? Be sure to check out vt.edu/accessibility for up-to-date resources on campus accessibility. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to discuss any questions about access. SSD provides:
- Resources on campus accessibility
- Modifications to the living and learning environments
- Academic Coaching
- Academic assistance
- Financial Assistance
- Assistance with life transitions
- Assistance using service/ assistance animals on campus