A project aimed at helping off-campus students create healthy and affordable meals, a conference to introduce students to integrative medicine, and a series of workshops and events to provide law students with tools and skills to improve their health and well-being are just three of the 13 projects initiated by registered student groups at UCLA that have recently received up to $2,000 from UCLA’s Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) student grant program.
Launched in 2012 to encourage healthy lifestyle choices among UCLA students, staff and faculty, HCI has funded 33 student projects through this program to date, with awards totaling roughly $60,000.
"These projects span the areas of nutrition, physical and mental fitness, and community and environmental health," said Michael Goldstein, associate vice provost for the Healthy Campus Initiative. "They give students an opportunity to try new ideas, develop leadership skills, work on projects that are meaningful to them and raise awareness of important health and wellness topics that deserve attention."
Without funding from HCI, Law Students in Balance, which started last quarter at UCLA as a way to teach law students strategies to manage stress and achieve work/life balance, would not be able to hold its weekly yoga and meditation classes or its weekly relaxation and concentration workshop, said Tatiana Pavlova-Coleman, a law student and founding president of the group.
"UCLA’s Healthy Campus Initiative is important because it promotes well-being, it creates conversation about the importance of well-being, and it supports projects by various organizations within the schools, which aim to help students deal with stress and provide possible solutions for living balance lives," said Pavlova-Coleman.
Other student projects and groups to receive HCI financial support this academic year include:
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Students for Integrative Medicine. It received funding to support its annual integrative medicine conference and its Grocery Cart Project, a website that helps off-campus students plan menus for healthy, inexpensive meals.
- Creative Minds at UCLA. Its creative arts events series, which was funded, features poetry and dance/movement therapy workshops, an art exhibit and a drum circle to promote psychological well-being, creative achievement and positive self-expression.
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The Student Food Collective at UCLA. The group received funding for Picnic at Sunset, a large communal picnic featuring seasonal foods from local farmers and entertainment by student performers. In addition to bringing people together, the picnic also serves as a forum for discussions about local food sources, food ethics, politics and sustainability.
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The American Indian Student Association. Its funded project, Retention of American Indians Now!, aims to help Native American students holistically develop the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of their lives.
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E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity. It received funding for Saving Face, a seminar and workshop that raised awareness about the physical and environmental impacts of the chemicals used in many cosmetic products and taught participants how to make their own natural cosmetics;
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The Industrial Hygiene Student Association. This student organization received funding to evaluate air quality in four lecture halls in the Fielding School of Public Health and the Center for Health Sciences.
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Bicycle Coalition at UCLA received funding for a series of events and activities to promote an increase in bicycling and bike safety.
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The Student Wellness Commission. Funding made it possible to stage Music and Health for the College Student, a conference highlighting the integration of health and music. This group also received funding to expand circulation of the Total Wellness magazine to targeted populations on campus in need of health resources and education.
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The Ethnomusicology Graduate Students Organization. Funding made possible a series of square dances;
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Public Health Student Association received funding to support the creation of a student-directed herb garden in the courtyard at the Center for Health Sciences.
Other student groups were given conditional approval for HCI funding for these projects:
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The UCLA Active Transportation Plan Project, proposed by the Bicycle Coalition at UCLA.
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The renovation of the garden at Sunset Recreation Center by DIG at UCLA.
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An evening of healthy and stress-reducing activities by Synapse at UCLA.
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A project to determine whether there is an unmet demand for additional water stations at the Center for Health Sciences by the Environmental Health Sciences Student Association and Industrial Hygiene Student Association.
Applications for the next round of student grant program funding will be accepted in the fall. To be considered for funding, projects must be sustainable, improve the health and well-being of UCLA students, and address issues that are important to students.
Funding is for student group projects that are developed and carried out by registered student groups.
Project proposals from individual students will not be considered. The administration of the funding is handled by Student Organizations Leadership and Engagement (SOLE) for the HCI. Those interested in submitting proposals should contact their SOLE advisor for review and to obtain approval prior to submitting the funding application.