Fresh Check Day
On January 17, students at St. Lawrence University spent the first Friday evening of the Spring 2025 semester attending Fresh Check Day. The event, held from 3-5 p.m. at the Sullivan Student Center, aimed to promote emotional well-being and offer resources for students to find support as they brace for potential challenges brought on by the upcoming academic semester.
Participants were enticed by interactive booths across the first and third floor of the STU, a self-care kit station and treats such as popcorn and hot chocolate. Those visiting at least five booths became eligible to win prizes. All they had to do was attend the booths and earn stickers to show proof of engagement. After completing their sticker tallies, students went to the third floor. They tried their best to win prizes such as Airpods, gift certificates and speakers.
Fresh Check Day is an event that reflects universities’ increased efforts to destigmatize conversations surrounding mental health and promote young people’s ability to find self-sufficiency in recent years. According to the American Psychological Association, such efforts have spiked partly as a response to increases in anxiety and isolation among college-age students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond that, students in recent generations also have better access to supportive resources such as counseling services. They are being encouraged to voice concerns about their mental well-being without much of the stigma that famously plagued previous generations.
The purpose of Fresh Check Day was also to check in with students and reassure them that taking care of themselves is as important as working through potential academic hurdles over the course of the semester. Additionally, given that the winters in Canton, New York, are more likely to exacerbate potential feelings of isolation among some students, Fresh Check Day served as another outlet for students to connect with themselves and each other. By offering such opportunities as Fresh Check Day, SLU hopes to support students in their journey to help themselves emotionally and bring them together to kick off the spring semester in sheets of snow, overcast weather and the inevitable stress coming from a rigorous academic schedule.