Campus Life

Be Well @ UWL

YOU@UWL

Be Well @ UWL

Physical

Expanders

Human Resources
- Retirement and savings plans
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Life and accident insurance
- Leave benefits

Dining and catering information
What’s on the menu?
Mealplans for staff and faculty

The employee assistance program is a free, confidential service to UWL employees, their dependents, and anyone living in their household.

Outdoor Equipment Rental; Outdoor Resource Library: maps, guide books, instruction and periodicals; Outdoor Equipment purchasing advice; Outdoor Trips and Clinics; Outdoor skills training; Lectures and Seminars; Green Bike Rental Program

Staff and Faculty Membership Rates

Membership includes: access to the REC Strength Center, track-side cardiovascular and strength equipment, 200 meter track, courts, climbing wall, racquetball courts, multipurpose room, and conditioning room; access to the Mitchell Hall pool; reduced rental and trip rates at the Outdoor Connection; ability to sponsor guests (up to 3 per visit) for appropriate guest fee; eligibility to play intramural sports; eligibility to utilize personal training services; ability to participate in family weekends
Avoid ‘busy times’ by following the live counts for the fitness center

StayWell is an independent provider of health promotion programs and services. StayWell specializes in helping organizations improve the health and well-being of their participants. Since 1978 StayWell has designed and managed programs for employers throughout the United States.

The StayWell wellness portal is available to employees, retirees and their spouses enrolled in the State of Wisconsin or Wisconsin Public Employers Group Health Insurance Programs. Access is based on the effective dates of your health insurance coverage. The StayWell wellness portal is not available to children or other dependents of the employee enrolled in State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program. The services available to you through StayWell, including individual confidential health coaching and all of the tools in the portal, are provided at no cost to you

To access your StayWell Portal, click here.

The $150 Well Wisconsin Incentive is the uniform wellness incentive available to employees, retirees and their spouses currently enrolled in the State of Wisconsin or Wisconsin Public Employers Group Health Insurance Programs.

Complete a health screening, the StayWell health assessment, and a StayWell well-being activity to earn the $150 gift card. You can complete these steps via your StayWell wellness portal account

Click here to be redirected to the StayWell portal

Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness involves the ability to share and understand your feelings. This includes feelings of fear, anger, sadness, stress, disgust, hope, love, joy, happiness, and more. Emotional wellness is a component of mental health along with psychological and social wellbeing. Mental health is how we think, feel, and act.

Components of Emotional Wellness:

Sense of well-being: recognizing and appropriately expressing a wide range of emotions
Awareness: recognizing your feelings, as well as the feelings of others
Acceptance: understanding the normality of human emotion and realistically assessing personal abilities and limitations
Management: managing or coping with personal feelings and knowing how to seek support when necessary

Practicing Emotional Wellness:

Mindfulness
Self-reflection
Affirmations
Self-care

Campus Resources:

Counseling & Testing Center (2106 Centennial Hall; 608.785.8073)
The Counseling & Testing Center offers group & short-term individual counseling and consultation services for UWL students. Services can help students recognize, express, and cope with feelings and develop an action plan to address problems. Urgent care services are available Monday – Friday, 12:00pm - 4:00pm to support students experiencing a mental health crisis.
Office of Student Life (149 Graff Main Hall; 608.785.8062)
The Student Life Office provides advising and referral services, communication with faculty regarding student absences, conflict resolution, and legal services. Staff at the Student Life Office can help advocate for you if you are experiencing emotional health problems. The Student Life Office also oversees withdrawals from the university.
Pride Center (2218 Student Union; pridecenter@uwlax.edu)
The Pride Center fosters a safe environment for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff; educates the campus and community; and advocates for student success and inclusivity. Staff at the Pride Center can support emotional wellness for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Violence Prevention (149 Graff Main Hall; 608.785.8062)
UW-La Crosse recognizes that violence in any form can interfere with the ability to work and learn in our community. Someone who experiences sexual assault, violence or abuse in a relationship, or stalking often finds that they have difficulty focusing on work or on their studies. UWL's Violence Prevention Specialist is here to assist individuals with advocacy, information, and support, so that they can make informed choices about the options available to them in these situations. Services are free, confidential, and available to all UWL students, faculty, and staff members.
Office of Multicultural Student Services (1101 Centennial Hall; 608.785.8225)
OMSS provides services for UWL multicultural students, including leadership, advocacy, advising, programming, and support. Staff at OMSS can support your emotional health by promoting human understanding, shared values, and respect for individual differences and similarities.
Kognito: At-Risk Mental Health Training for Students (149 Graff Main Hall; 608.785.8062) Kognito is an online simulation designed to help users practice conversations about mental health. The AI technology helps UWL faculty, staff, and students create a safer and more supportive campus by learning what to say in real life. To access this free resource, please click on the link above.
UW Mental Health Support 24/7 (call or text 888.531.2142 for student-focused emotional support)

Community Resources:

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
- Call or text for 24/7 free and confidential support
La Crosse County Crisis Services: 608.784.4357
- Local mental health support and evaluation of risk via phone and/or in person
Great Rivers 211 Helpline: 211 or 800.362.8255
- Local support and help in connecting with resources for meeting basic needs

Physical Wellness

Physical wellness is multidimensional and looks different for different people. Optimal physical wellness is a state of health and well-being that includes a properly functioning body free from disease. Taking care of your physical wellness requires physical activity, proper nutrition, avoiding misuse of alcohol and other substances, taking care of one's sexual health, getting enough sleep, utilizing professional medical attention when needed, and taking steps to prevent injury.

Components of Physical Wellness:

Fitness
Nutrition
Substance use
Sexual health
Sleep
Medical self-care

Practicing Physical Wellness:

Physical activity
Nutrition and mindful eating
Safe sexual practices
Responsible drinking

Components of Physical Wellness

Physical activity is vital for maintaining health. In addition to burning calories, building muscle, improving endurance, strengthening bones, and improving one's ability to do everyday activities, regular exercise has been shown to decrease anxiety and stress, increase self-esteem, and improve academic performance.

Campus Resources:

Rec Sports Explore on-campus facilities, group fitness classes, intramurals and sport clubs, and more opportunities for fitness and recreation.
Student Health Center Access Mayo Clinic primary care, same-day care, and physical therapy.

Community Resources:

General Exercise Guidelines

Type of exercise	Duration	Examples
Cardiovascular	150 min/week of Moderate intensity exercise OR 75 min/week of vigorous intensity exercise	Walk, jog, bike, swim, kickboxing, elliptical, stairs, jump rope, etc.
Muscular Strength & Endurance	2-3 days a week, 8-12 exercises until fatigue	Arm curls, push-ups, lunges, squats, wall sits, crunches, bench press, leg lifts, leg press, calf raises, etc.
Flexibility	Gentle stretch of each muscle group for 30 seconds each at least once a day	Arm across the body, arm over the head, knee to chest, touch toes, etc

Exercise and nutrition go hand-in-hand. Combining well-planned, targeted workouts with quality food intake will maximize the benefits from physical activity. Fitness and nutrition practices in physical wellness look different for different people. Generally, a healthy diet includes a variety of grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and beans, and oils (MyPlate food groups).

Along with a well-rounded diet, intuitive and mindful eating are important components of nutrition. Intuitive eating is approach to fueling, nourishing, and loving your body; mindful eating is a specific tool and the process of intentionally and purposefully paying attention to your eating process without judgement.

Campus Resources:

Nutrition Counseling at the Student Health Center
Meet with Jess Harke, Registered Dietician, in Dining Services.
Student Health Center Access Mayo Clinic primary care, same-day care, and physical therapy.

Community Resources:

Substance use and misuse can be a significant barrier to student success. While we recognize that students may choose to participate in the consumption of alcohol and other substances, Wellness & Health Advocacy provides education and prevention services that promote safer consumption and bystander intervention.

Campus Resources:

Prevention and education from the Office of Student Life
Oktoberfest Safety

Community Resources:

Coulee Recovery Center
Substance abuse services from La Crosse County

Sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. While sexual and reproductive health can be difficult to talk about, having informed conversations and practicing safer sexual habits can positively support overall well-being.

Pregnancy and STI Prevention

If you choose to participate in sexual activity it is important to protect yourself and your partner, whether that be from sexually transmitted infections or unwanted pregnancies.

Consent

Consent is freely given words or overt actions that clearly communicate an individual’s agreement to engage in sexual activity. It is a clear yes, not just the absence of a no, and is specific, verbal, and enthusiastic from all partners. Consent cannot legally be obtained if an individual is incapacitated due to alcohol or other drugs, is unconscious or asleep, or has impaired mental capacity.

Healthy Relationships

Relationships should consist of mutual respect for each individual, open communication between each other, honesty, and support for one another. Learn more about healthy relationships, consent, domestic and dating violence from Violence Prevention.

Sexuality and Gender Identity

How we identify and who we're attracted to are important components of sexual, reproductive, and relationship health.

Campus Resources:

Student Health Center
Pride Center
Counseling and Testing Center
Request free sexual health supplies from Wellness & Health Advocacy

Community Resources:

Sleep is a necessary and vital biological function that is essential to a person's physical and emotional well-being. Sleep benefits your immune system, helps repair your nervous system, and aids in hormone release. And proper sleep can help you stay healthy, perform better on exams, and keep your energy up!

Campus Resources:

Student Health Center Access Mayo Clinic primary care, same-day care, and physical therapy.
Explore relaxation spaces on campus.

Community Resources:

Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System
Sleep Medicine at Gundersen Health System

Physical wellness also includes participating in medical self-care. Attending regular physical exams, recognizing and responding to signs of disease, and utilizing professional medical services when needed are important components of taking care of one's health.

Campus Resources:

Student Health Center
Mayo Clinic Nurse Line: 608-785-0940 (call and indicate that you are a UWL student to be connected with a nurse who will discuss and review your symptoms)

Community Resources: