The Student Health and Counseling Center’s 50th year anniversary is on Wednesday, Sept. 25 and it’s celebrating with many treats.
The center is organizing an open house from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and will provide free Dutch Bros drinks to the first 250 students who complete the tour.
The mission of the health and counseling center is to promote the academic and personal success of students on campus, encouraging a healthy lifestyle while providing affordable and accessible health and psychological services.
Janell Morillo, associate vice president of the Student Health, Counseling and Wellness Center explained her excitement for the upcoming event.
“I am so excited to be a part of this 50, it’s a big deal to know that this building was constructed in 1974 and to know the evolution of services and the growth that has happened in that time frame,” Morillo said.
She added that she is so proud of the work that all the staff at the center do and wants to show students the pride that the center takes to serve the community of Fresno State.
The health and counseling center posted on Instagram formally inviting students to come to the event, but they have been planning for months.
Alexis Ford-Duncil, health communication and promotion specialist, gave a summary of how long the process has taken to plan the event.
“Historically, we have always hosted an open house,” Ford-Duncil said. “We knew very early on in January that we wanted to host an open house and it also landed on our 50 birthday and so I would say probably from the beginning of summer to now we have kind of started brainstorming and conceptualizing what the event would look like.”
Giving an average of about six months of planning.
The event commemorates the 50 years the center has served for the benefit of students while showcasing five stations that will have freebies with information about services at the center.
The freebies that will be at each station will include calming strips, hot and cold packs, information on the upcoming flu shot clinic, fresh fruit and hand sanitizer just to name a few.
“It’s relatively themed in the sense that when you enter you will get a bag to carry the things you collect as you go through, as well as what we call our bulldog thrive plan…that really showcases everything that we do in student health and counseling and wellness,” Morillo said.
A giveaway basket will also be present at the event where students can enter following the center on Instagram.
Students can tour the center, meet staff and experience the center’s zen den.
The zen den is a back patio behind the health center that was used only by staff.
“We were able to acquire some funding from the chancellor’s office a few years ago to invest in creating a space that could be good for students, specifically contributing to mental health programming,” Morillo said.
The concept of the zen den comes from this idea of a renovated space for the peace and well-being of students that will be showcased during the event.
Morillo mentioned that next month, the center will be offering yoga classes once a month and some counseling groups at the center may do some meditations out there as well.
Ford-Duncil, an alumnus at Fresno State who graduated in 2019 wanted to give a former student perspective on what the event would have meant to her.
“I always felt like the space was safe for me to come to,” Ford-Duncil said. “So for me from a student’s perspective, it’s just important to come and see the services available to you and that the health center is here to help you become healthiest.”
Jhene Prathinthong, a sophomore liberal studies major, voiced her feelings about the event and its significance to students on campus.
“I think the event itself will remind students about the range of support available to them, and that’s really valuable,” Prathinthong said. “Sometimes we forget how much help we have right here on campus, so even just being aware of these services can make a difference.”
