Wellness Wednesday, a series hosted by Health and Wellness Services, is returning virtually
this semester. Before COVID-19, Wellness Wednesday was an in-person event, with the goal of informing students on topics chosen by the Health and Wellness center. Katie Jensen is the Health and Wellness promotions coordinator. Jensen said local experts, campus or community, speak on topics students are interested in.
“We plan topics accordingly, in line with campus schedules, for  example, around midterms we will
do a series regarding how to deal with stress and positive studying tips, or during the first few weeks
of school we will do a series on how to cope with homesickness,” Jensen said.
Recently, COVID has changed the Wellness Wednesday series.
“With COVID, it [Wellness Wednesday] has been transitioned all online with live sessions and or recordings, that are then uploaded on our Facebook page,” Jensen said.
Jensen said the transition to an online format has not been without challenges.
“When they first planned to shift things online, some of the presenters opted out and decided to wait
till next semester because they were not comfortable with recording,” Jensen said.
Some people may not know where to find the Wellness Wednesday series, which is an issue, Jensen said.
“We have been focusing on the marketing aspect of things, we really stepped up our game when things went virtual. We wanted to let students know we were still here for them,” Jensen said.
Ashely Bader is a Winona State alum who works as an intern for Health and Wellness Services.
“Every week we coordinate various posts on different health topics to be released on social media. We
have really upped our social media presence by posting more content and working to engage with students and get them the same health and wellness information, but virtually,” Bader said.
Bader said Wellness Wednesday’s new virtual format will allow Health and Wellness Services to reach a larger audience.
“Virtual Wellness Wednesdays allow students to still be able to view and get the same information without having to leave their homes or risk COVID exposure,” Bader said.
Some of the upcoming topics for Wellness Wednesday’s virtual version include: “The Birds and the Bees Remix” and “How to be a Financially Well Warrior”.
Wellness Wednesday virtual is streamed, or prerecorded, and posted on Health and Wellness Services’ Facebook page every Wednesday.