The IU Student Health Center and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are offering clinics, events and testing appointments for students during the month of November.
The Student Health Center is offering flu shot clinics for current IU students, faculty and staff to receive their flu vaccinations. The last day to make an appointment is on Monday, Nov. 7, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. To make an appointment, one can register through the clinic scheduler.
Students can get screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea through the Student Health Center's new drop-off STI testing program – no appointment necessary. The Student Health Center is offering a pilot program where students who have no symptoms can be screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea. This program only provides urine screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea. The testing can be paid for by insurance, being billed to a student account or seeing a cashier after dropping off the sample.
Related: [IU Gift of Life ambassadors to hold Swab Week on campus Nov. 11-18]
Assistant Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health at the IU Health Center, Heather Eastman-Mueller, said the goal is to provide an opportunity for IU students to talk about sex safety as well as reducing the stigma associated with STI testing.
“For many, students haven’t had to navigate the healthcare system, and this provides them with a comfortable environment in which to do so,” Eastman-Mueller said.
Coping with an Eating Disorder During the Holidays will be a free virtual workshop on November 9, from 6-7 p.m. The event will include organizing a support system, setting healthy boundaries, prioritizing recovery and engaging in self-care. CAPS will invite participants to share tips they have found helpful in the past while being mindful to keep the space as trigger-free as possible.
The CAPS counselor in charge of the event, Amanda Roth, said she wanted to offer an opportunity for students to think and plan so they hopefully feel more confident that they can maintain their recovery while home for the holidays.
“We are really excited to offer this workshop to students and hope that the coping tips we offer will help many students have an enjoyable and manageable holiday season," Roth said. “We also hope that it might draw in students who are not currently seeking treatment for their eating issues and encourage them to reach out for help and support.”
The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be available to view in Alumni Hall in the IMU on Nov. 10–12 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Those who attend will have the opportunity to tour sections of the Quilt, which have been selected by members of the public who have been diagnosed with AIDS. Each day of the event, there will be opportunities to ask questions and learn about HIV/AIDS and receive free HIV testing.
Related: [AIDS Memorial Quilt to be displayed on IU’s campus in November]
CAPS is offering free Mindfulness Meditation workshops every week through the first week of December and encourages students to attend as many as they wish. The days offered are Mondays from 9-10 a.m., Tuesdays at 12-1 p.m. and Wednesdays at 2-3 p.m. These workshops offer ways of practicing mindfulness with opportunities to discuss the process and benefits of developing consistent mindfulness practice.
CAPS counselor Ian Arthur said he often compares the workshops to weightlifting because the principles are the same and they work with resistance repetitively to develop a particular kind of skill or strength.
“The repetitive aspect of meditation simply involves noticing when the mind has moved away and then gently, without judgment or aggression, returning it to the anchor,” Arthur said. “This allows us to gradually develop a different relationship with our thoughts and feelings, increasing our ability to choose how to respond to them instead of being caught in our typical, automatic reactions.”
The Student Health Center calendar lists of all events current IU students, faculty and staff can attend or participate in.
