Student leaders and campus wellbeing staff are encouraging Columbia students to slow down, connect with one another and prioritize mental health this week through a series of events marking the college’s second annual “Kindness Week.”

Organized by the Student Government Association and the Center for Student Wellbeing, the weeklong initiative includes activities designed to spread positivity throughout campus, stressing student health and how we can help one another.

Organizers say the goal is to remind students that small acts of kindness and moments of connection can help ease the pressures of academic life.

Tiana Hill, co-director for the Center of Student Wellbeing, said she was excited the department could be a part of Columbia’s second “Kindness Week” after the Student Government Association asked to collaborate with them this year for the first time, and that the initiative perfectly aligned with their goals.

“I thought it was such a beautiful initiative in our office, for the Center of Student Wellbeing. We try our best to build community,” she said.

The week is designed to highlight Columbia’s campus community and offer students ways to navigate stressful times while building connections. Activities have included making positive affirmation bracelets earlier in the week and a kindness board outside the decompression space on Tuesday, March 10, where students could leave notes of encouragement. Through these events, the Student Government Association and the Center for Student Wellbeing aim to promote positivity across campus and emphasize the importance of supporting one another’s health and wellbeing.

“It’s such a big school, we have students wanting more connections that are sometimes afraid to step out, so we just want to make opportunities for people to connect and build community with one another,” Hill said.

One of the week’s events included a “You Can Sit With Me” lunch held Wednesday, March 11, on the third floor of 623 S. Wabash Ave. The event invited students to share a meal, meet new people and connect with staff from the Center for Student Wellbeing.

SGA President Jenna Davis said in an email to the Chronicle that the initiative has grown this year through its partnership with the wellbeing center. Davis hopes the events will help students feel like they belong and that their ultimate goal is to “spread kindness amongst the student body ahead of midterms.”

“I think we are in a world that is full of hate and a lot of hurt,” Davis said. “Being kind and showing appreciation to those that are around us is the least we can do right now.”

The week continues with additional events focused on wellness and self-care. On Thursday, March 12, the organizations will host a sexual health and wellness event in partnership with Planned Parenthood, offering free confidential STD and STI testing, sexual health information and other resources.

The week will conclude Friday, March 13 with an art activity where students can paint affirmations on rocks to keep or share with others.
Hill said she hopes students walk away feeling seen, heard and connected.

“A lot is just happening not only at the school but in the world in general, and there’s so much that one act of kindness can do,” Hill said. “From a wellbeing and mental health perspective, each of these activities is not only a way to develop new coping skills but just be in community with someone else and do something to take care of your mental health.”

Chaise Lawson, a junior film and television and photography major, said she regularly visits the Center for Student Wellbeing and discovered the lunch event while stopping by.

“Having even a little event like this where you can get free food and a drink, it gets you through the week a little bit sometimes,” Lawson said.

Lawson added that, “It’s hard in this day and age, so it’s nice that they care enough to throw a little something every once in a while.”

“It’s easy to forget that being kind is something you have to actively do. It’s not just something you are,” Lawson said. “Being in a community and space where you want to be kind is important, and finding people who are like-minded and want to spread that positivity is important.”

Copy edited by Katie Peters