Promoting Social Engagement to Improve Mental Health on Campus

The last two years have left an indelible mark on so many areas of our lives. Almost overnight, we were forced to rethink the way we work, learn, shop, and socialize. One of the most obvious and immediate changes was the extensive adoption of digital technology that minimized physical contact, enabling us to carry out many of our daily tasks from the comfort and safety of our homes.

However, while isolating may have been helpful in safeguarding physical health, it negatively impacted many people’s mental health and well-being. Humans need social interaction and a sense of connection to their friends and communities. Young people, who are often still forming those bonds, were hit especially hard by the sudden loss of in-person socialization. According to a report by The Washington Post, 72% of college students say the pandemic negatively affected their mental health; 67% said it led to feelings of loneliness or isolation.

This is one of the ideas explored in the latest chapter of the President to President thought leadership series. In “Post-Pandemic: It’s Not All About Technology,” Illinois Wesleyan University President Georgia Nugent, Ph.D., explores some of the lasting and far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses the heightened focus on prioritizing students’ mental health, positing that the “rise in mental health issues among adolescents and college students could itself be termed an epidemic.” However, Nugent does find hope in the resiliency that many students have displayed.

Engagement in campus life is a key component of social connection for college students. Many campuses have begun to take a more integrated approach to mental health, noting the ways that various campus services encourage resiliency and contribute to students’ overall well-being. Campus dining is one example. Mealtimes offer opportunities to create moments of engagement, joy, and a sense of community. Positive campus experiences rejuvenate students, keep them engaged, and combat feelings of isolation.

These moments of wellness do not need to be large-scale to have a significant impact. Sodexo dining teams across the country have found ways to infuse joy, kindness, and celebration into everyday moments.

For example, Rocky Mountain College in Montana helps students celebrate their birthdays with Birthday Bingo. Each month, students who are celebrating a birthday can enjoy cupcakes and play bingo for the chance to win prizes. Students often describe how special it makes them feel to be celebrated by the campus community at this event.

The dining team at Illinois Wesleyan University offers themed events and dishes to get students excited about participating in campus life. They prepared a special chocolate cake piled with sweet toppings to celebrate National Chocolate Day. Each Tuesday, the dining hall highlights the Big City Bites program, which takes taking students on a culinary journey across America by encouraging them to samples some of the authentic flavors from iconic cities, including Chicago, Nashville, and Seattle.

Big City Bites is part of Sodexo’s resident dining promotion series, which helps students have fun and make connections while dining on campus. This year’s series also included the Pedal Forward, Give Back Sweepstakes, which gave students the chance to win a $500 donation to a local hunger-related charity of their choice, as well as two cruiser bikes―one for the student to keep and one to give to a friend.

Minnesota State University Moorhead promoted participation in the sweepstakes and encouraged movement at a recent Taco Ride event. Students rode bikes around campus and then enjoyed grilled steak and vegetable street tacos together. Upbeat music and nonalcoholic margaritas added to the festive atmosphere.

It is also important to offer students opportunities to support their communities while making social connections. Students at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and Weber State University in Utah celebrated World Kindness Day in November by making more than 1,600 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to feed local community members and spread kindness to others.

As campus operations continue the gradual return to normal, Sodexo teams will be ready to support students’ reentry into campus life with fun, interactive events designed to foster social connections and help students engage in the campus community.