Julia Sand/Winonan
Winona State University’s “Theme” website is up and running as resource to find the year’s campus events, contact information and more.
The website, reflecting the 2012-2013 theme, Well- Connected, was launched this year by a number of Winona State individuals, with hopes the site can be utilized by Winona students, staff, faculty and community as an information site.
“What we’re trying to do this year is to coincide with the kick-off of the theme, and then it can be utilized as a resource, so events for the entire year tying into the theme are housed there,” said Adrian Shepard, director of integrated wellness, who serves as co-chair on the “Theme Team.”
The website features a calendar of events, Wellness Integration Toolkit, contact information, past themes and much more.
Students and community are encouraged to check out the site and use the Toolkit to combine Winona State’s Wellness ideas into curricula and activities.
Erica Thibodeaux, Health and Wellness Coordinator, and Sam Sollie worked on the website content, then worked with Todd Copeman and Mollee Sheehan to finalize the website.
“Just like everything going on, it’s a team effort,” Shepard said.
There would be no website, though, without a theme.
The trend started in 2008 with the university’s theme “Our Drinking Fountains are Water,” and the common threads of environment, health and community lead throughout the years to this year’s theme, “Well-Connected,” explained Vicki Englich, head of the Learning and Community Engagement committee.
The Learning and Community Engagement committee oversee the theme process as well at the Theme Team.
Themes are meant to carry throughout the year and incorporate campus activities, community activities, classroom engagement if possible and an overall university trend. For example, this year Wellness Wednesdays, Healthy Mondays, Wellzine and CLASP all revolve around the “Well Connected” theme.
“This year’s theme events and theme website increase awareness that our wellness can be affected positively or negatively by every choice we make,” Thibodeaux said.
Two years in advance, theme applications are sent out; the 2014-2015 school year applications will be sent out this fall. Faculty and staff members are encouraged to submit ideas for the future theme. After applications are revised, a number of applicants will be asked to present ideas and plans to the Learning and Community Engagement committee. Finally, the decision is left to the committee members.
Two years ago, Shepard started working at Winona State just in time to help the initial plans for what became “Well Connected: Piecing Together a Well You” theme.
Shepard explained that he and Shari Harman, also co-chair on Theme Team, divided this year’s team members, which consisted of about 50 students, staff and faculty, into sub- teams: spiritual, intellectual, occupational, environmental, social, emotional and physical.
The sub-groups are those that make up the Wellness Wheel featured on the Theme Website.
Englich also sees Winona State’s themes as a piece that ties us all together.
“It’s been great to work with different faculty members. The different themes bring different people together who many not work together regularly,” said Englich.
The team hopes to engage the community as well. “We want to make connections internally and externally. We encourage and welcome community members to come on campus to come to events,” Englich said.
Only a few weeks since the kick-off, which was Sept. 14, Thibodeaux already sees success.
“Community organizations have begun to also adopt the theme when working in collaboration with WSU. Overall, we have received positive feedback and support across campus and community,” Thibodeaux said.
Shepard hopes that the website will carry on as part of the IWC site, where its components can continue to be used as a resource.
“The main thing with whatever we do, I’d like to see that we make it sustainable so it can be continued on every single year,” said Shepard.
Students who want to get involved on the Theme Team or would like to add their thoughts and ideas to the website are encouraged to contact Adrian Shepard.
Contact Julia at [email protected]
