Community walking group promotes wellness at WVU

College students often have to walk a significant distance across campus, moving between academic buildings, residence halls, and other student facilities, but a group of West Virginia University students regularly meets to walk across campus for their well-being.

This summer, two of WVU’s mental health offices partnered to create a regular walking group, encouraging students to get outside, meet new people, and prioritize their health. The initiative, Wake Up and Walk, includes all students and is part of a broader approach to supporting student well-being over the summer term.

How it works: Wake Up and Walk is a drop-in experience hosted by the Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services and BeWell, an office focused on mental health resources, for any student who would like to participate.

The goal is to improve students’ mental well-being, self-care practices and social connections, particularly in the post-pandemic era, which isolated many students in their homes, according to WVU’s student newspaper. The Daily Athenaeum.

Each weekly morning walk consists of two groups: one starting at the Evansdale campus and one at the Health Sciences Center (HSC) campus, which meet in the middle. Both groups are led by staff members, but are attended primarily by students.

The walk is about two miles long and takes about an hour and a half total, and is run rain or shine (but is canceled if there is lightning). Participants walk primarily on sidewalks, but there are some gravel trails as well.

The impact: Facilitating health and wellness for college students is a challenge many college leaders are looking to address, but student health goals are closer than they seem.

A Spring 2023 Student Voice Survey conducted by Within higher education Additionally, according to College Pulse, 57 percent of students want to exercise more and 43 percent want to spend more time outdoors. Walking or hiking is also a preferred wellness exercise for 28 percent of students.

Group walks have also been a trend among college students, particularly young women, as a way to socialize and stay fit. More than connecting students, WVU walks can help counseling center staff reach out to students and build connections, which helps them reach out to students who may need additional support.

Campus tours are a way for presidents or other administrators to build relationships with students and keep a pulse on campus, which also allows for authentic interaction.

A broader approach: Wake Up and Walk is one of five wellness outreach programs offered by the Carruth Center during the summer of 2024; the others are Outdoor Socials, Summer Fun at HSC, Craft and Chat, and Grad Student Bike & Banter.

Each event seeks to bring students together for non-academic activities, many of them outdoors, promoting mental health awareness and care. Grad Student Bike and Banter is a program specifically for graduate students that is family-friendly and includes parents of students and helps them explore the outdoors together.

The counseling center is also open during summer hours and WVU offers online therapy for students on or off campus.

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