Wellness Resources at MSU

Click to download this list of resources (PDF)

Physical Wellness

Nutrition Services. The Nutrition Program for students at MSU is focused on supporting all people within our campus community to achieve eating competence. The work we do in nutrition counseling sessions, outreach programming, and health communication promotes a non-diet approach using the eating competence model and a weight-inclusive approach to support health. The Nutrition Program provides services guided by a belief that students are capable of making wise, well-informed decisions about nutrition when provided the information, education, and support necessary to do so. https://healthpromotion.msu.edu/nutrition/.

MSU Student Food Bank. The MSU Student Food Bank was founded to help students who are dealing with food insecurity.  Food insecurity refers to having limited food availability with a reduction in the quality or variety of food intake, that often results in disrupted eating patterns.  A lack of food security can be a considerable obstacle to academic success. Currently, the Food Bank is open by appointment and you can pick up food as often as once a week.  Check here for details on how to set up an appointment:

https://foodbank.msu.edu/distribution/index.html.

SPARTANfit at Student Health Services strives to encourage, educate and support students on the benefits of incorporating regular physical activity into their daily lives. To schedule a free virtual fitness assessment, sign up for a free Virtual Exercise Program or learn more about these programs please contact Kristin Traskie at 517-353-7868 or kristin.traskie@hc.msu.edu.  Check the website for more details: https://healthpromotion.msu.edu/fitness/index.html.

Recreational Sports and Fitness Services. https://recsports.msu.edu/. Rec Sports’ mission is to promote each participant's learning experience by engaging the university community in healthy lifestyles through sport, fitness, and recreational opportunities.  Graduate School Office of Well-Being, COGS and Rec Sports have partnered together to offer discounted Fitness Passes for a limited number of graduate students every semester. Contact the GROW for more information.

Virtual THRIVE! https://healthpromotion.msu.edu/fitness/index.html. This 12-week virtual program provides you with motivation, accountability, and support, as well as opportunities to thrive and obtain a higher level of personal health through a variety of fitness and wellness experiences. You can expect to meet virtually with a friendly and engaged professional wellness coach who will help you reflect on your current fitness and wellness habits. They will help guide you in creating a plan to make changes and set SMART goals so that you can work towards becoming the best version of you! The Virtual THRIVE! program includes:

  • Virtual Fitness Assessments (Pre and Post)
  • Virtual Wellness Coaching
  • Weekly Fitness & Wellness Challenges and E-mail Check-Ins
  • Virtual Weekly Group Workouts with a Certified Personal Trainer
  • Virtual Nutrition Session: Eating Well for Mind, Body & Soul

Cost to Students: $35 (limited number of subsidized spots for graduate students. Contact Meg Moore at akehimeg@msu.edu for more details).

 

Emotional Wellness

MSU Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) is the place on campus for students seeking help for a wide range of concerns, including: depression, anxiety, stress management, homesickness, adjustment or acculturation, relationships, gender and sexual orientation (LBGTQ) issues, substance abuse, traumatic experiences, eating or body image concerns, and other personal mental health concerns.  CAPS provides short-term individual therapy as well as a variety of support groups, some specifically for graduate students.  CAPS also provides a referral service to help students find mental health providers in the community. If you are in crisis, calling CAPS’ main number any time 24/7 will immediately connect you to a crisis counselor: 517-355-8270.  You can learn more about the services offered at CAPS and how to access them here: https://caps.msu.edu.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The Mission of the MSU Employee Assistance Program is to support and enhance the emotional health of the campus community. EAP provides emotional assistance to employees and their families as they attempt to work through life changes, expected and unexpected events, chronic physical and emotional health issues, and work/life balance concerns.  The EAP offers six free sessions of counseling for graduate students who are benefits-eligible (e.g. those funded by assistantships). https://eap.msu.edu.

Emotional Wellness Coaching offered by Health4U. https://health4u.msu.edu/wellness. The focus of these free coaching sessions is to help you move toward your desired goal, such as:

  • Feeling less stressed out
  • Getting motivated and/or organized
  • Increasing your focus
  • Learning more about yourself and others around you
  • Dealing with writer's block
  • Exploring career options

Intellectual Wellness

Dissertation Support Groups. The Dissertation Support Group is a 6-week group for graduate students who would like some extra support maintaining motivation and/or making effective progress in the writing of their dissertation.  This group is open only to students who have defended their proposals and are actively working on and writing their dissertation full time.  The group utilizes a short-term, solution-focused model to help manage the anxiety and stress that often prohibit effective writing.  Please note that this group does not focus on the technical aspects of writing, and there will be no review of written work in this group.  The group provides participants with a supportive, structured environment that helps to mitigate the sense of isolation and frustration that often accompany the dissertation writing process and to promote the accountability, risk-taking and creativity necessary to complete a terminal degree.  A weekly discussion topic will also provide group members with an opportunity to discuss some of the most common barriers to effective writing such as procrastination, time management, stress/burnout, and writer’s block (syllabus of topics listed below).  Contact the Grad School Office of Well-Being for more information: gradwellness@msu.edu.

Community Engagement and Social Wellness

Council of Graduate Students (COGS) is an authorized student government on campus representing our graduate/professional students at various levels across Michigan State University. Their mission is to improve and advance graduate education in order to ensure the vitality of intellectual discovery. COGS accomplishes its mission through advocacy, innovative research, and the development and dissemination of best practices. Supporting education is critical to achieving the highly skilled workforce needed for the U.S. to compete effectively in the 21st century global economy. Email: office@cogs.msu.edu. Website: https://cogs.msu.edu/. The COGS website often has a list of social events and other ways to engage in community and scholarship together: https://cogs.msu.edu/upcoming-events/

The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center is dedicated to leading and collaborating on university-wide initiatives that prepare students to thrive in our diverse world, and enhancing the campus climate and support services for students marginalized by their sexuality or gender!  So when asked who is the Center for, it’s for everyone! https://gscc.msu.edu/.

The Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) is a National Science Foundation program that supports recruitment, retention, and graduation of underrepresented U. S. minorities in doctoral programs of the natural and social sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Graduate students, post-docs and faculty who participate in building the AGEP Community at MSU will provide a key to changing the culture of U. S. colleges and universities to embrace building world-class STEM and SBE faculties who fully reflect the diversity in race, gender, culture and intellectual talent of the U.S. population. https://grad.msu.edu/agep.

Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) is housed in the Health Promotion Department. MSU’s Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) serves students in or seeking recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. The mission is to provide a safe and supportive campus community in which students in recovery from addiction can achieve their academic, personal and professional goals. The CRC and its services are designed to empower students to thrive in the fullness of the college experience, free from alcohol and other drugs. https://healthpromotion.msu.edu/recovery/index.html.

Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) hosts a virtual coffee hour every week.  Check this page for updates about times and dates, which rotate to accommodate students calling in from different time zones: https://oiss.isp.msu.edu/about/feature/weekly-coffee-hour/.

Student Parent Resource Center. http://studentparents.msu.edu. The MSU Student Parent Resource Center offers a supportive environment to obtain information and resources for ALL students who are parents and their families on and off campus. Services offered by the SPRC:

  • Advocacy for student families
  • Academic and family support
  • Guidance for communicating with faculty and advisors
  • Financial assistance for child care, infant to age 12
  • Support in researching quality child care
  • Student Parents on a Mission (SPOM) peer organization
  • Pre-finals child care
  • Community Resource Guide
  • Student list serve with up-to-date information about community resources and opportunities for families
  • Other services as needed and requested by student parents

 

Local Community Events. East Lansing and Lansing have many opportunities for socializing and community engagement.  From festivals and famers markets to concerts and community service projects, there are lots of ways to get off campus and explore.  Though everything has been impacted by COVID, people are still finding safe and creative ways to connect.

 

Spiritual Wellness

Religious and faith-based groups that offer services for MSU students here: https://www.religiouslifeatmsu.org/organizations

Registered Student Organizations (RSO).  MSU has hundreds of student organizations and many of them are founded on a shared sense of religious identity or belief system.  You can search for an RSO by typing a certain faith, religion or belief system into the search bar: https://msu.campuslabs.com/engage.

Nature trails and parks

 

Occupational Wellness

PhD Career Services can help at every state of planning for life after graduate school.  If you are in need of one-on-one help in your career planning or professional development, it might be time to schedule an appointment.  You can get help with writing resumes/CVs and cover letters, preparing for interviews, and learning tips for successful networking.  Find directions for scheduling an appointment here: https://grad.msu.edu/phdcareers/advising

MSU WorkLife Office (https://worklife.msu.edu). The WorkLife Office accomplishes our mission by offering guidance and education in five areas:

  1. Career Transitions: For faculty or staff, career transition concerns may include: tenure clock stoppage for parental leave; taking on a new role at MSU; advancing or changing careers; among others. The WorkLife Office offers consultation and connects you to seminars and workshops to assist in these matters.
  2. Relocation & Community Connections: If you are new to Michigan State, the Greater Lansing area, Michigan or the United States, the WorkLife Office can help connect you to campus and community resources. Even if you aren’t new to the area, we have plenty of ways to help you locate and access the resources you need.
  3. Family Care: Resources include, but are not limited to, consultation to determine the best care for you and your family’s needs; identifying emergency childcare; sharing best practices for elder care.
  4. Workplace Assistance: We offer guidance for talking with supervisors about flexible work arrangements, recommendations for resolving conflict in the workplace, and identifying MSU policies which may apply to your workplace setting, among others.
  5. Research: We provide access to cutting-edge research about best practices for work-life synergy and develop research specific to MSU’s community.

 

Financial Wellness. The career dimension of wellness is not only concerned with employment, but also with employment that provides personal satisfaction and fair and adequate financial remuneration.  It can also be a challenge to feel financially well while still pursuing graduate education.  Click here for a guide to Financial Wellness for graduate students:

https://grad.msu.edu/sites/default/files/content/lifeandwellness/docs/Financial%20Wellness%20-%20Final%20Draft%20Designed.pdf