The Raider Wellness Resource Center at Shippensburg University is committed to the well-being of all students. Located in the Ceddia Union Building (CUB) Room 121, adjacent to the Fireside Lounge, offers a welcoming space where students can engage in wellness-related topics, attend programs, access resources or simply unwind. 

Kurt Dunkel, program coordinator for the Connection Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Program, highlighted that the center is designed to promote all aspects of wellness. “We provide a dedicated, centralized space to bring visibility, increase access and promote conversations and dialogue regarding wellness,” Dunkel said. 

The center operates with the support of staff, faculty, graduate assistants Nick Wertz and Brittany Lee and the Wellness/AOD peer education team. This team of students staffs the Wellness and AOD spaces, and they also assist with education, outreach, advocacy, and programming. Its programming focuses on the “eight dimensions of wellness”: emotional, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, environmental and financial. Students have the opportunity to set check-ins, create personal wellness goals, gain resources and learn about the various campus support services available. Dunkel said, “Wellness is so broad, and there is so much good work already being done by faculty, staff, and students on campus, we see our role as being facilitators and connectors.” 

Several initiatives and workshops are planned for the semester, including meditation workshops with psychology faculty member Toru Sato, discussions on grief, financial wellness presentations by PSECU, and a mindfulness series. The center also hosts therapy dogs through Kindly Canines each month. 

The center also provides resources for students interested in sobriety or addiction recovery, like the Sober Curious group, where students can discuss their relationship with substances in a nonjudgmental space.  “It’s an open group if students are struggling with their use, or if they’re just like—because this is much more popular now—just being sober and connecting with other sober students, that’s an opportunity for them to do so,” Dunkel said. 

Another huge initiative is the distribution of Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication. Julia Downs is a graduate student worker in the wellness center who helps lead this initiative. The center keeps a large stock of Narcan on hand, that anyone on campus can access. Narcan is a medication which can safely and effectively reverse the effect of an opioid overdose. 

The Connection AOD Program has secured a variety of grants over recent years, including grants through DDAP and the PLCB. Through a recent Opioid Settlement grant through Franklin-Fulton County D&A, the university plans to install naloxone boxes across 12 campus buildings. Similar to automated external defibrillators (AEDs), these boxes will contain Narcan and play a recording with instructions on how to administer it properly. The grant will also help to provide distribution boxes in the local community.  

The Raider Wellness Resource Center works with organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Drew Michael Taylor Foundation, which provides grief support. It also participates in Fresh Check Day, a national mental health awareness event that features interactive booths, peer-to-peer engagement and wellness activities. The event is inspired by the Jordan Porco Foundation and has become a tradition at Ship, bringing in hundreds of students each year.  

Looking ahead, Dunkel hopes to expand the center’s offerings to include more addiction education. He pointed out that addiction extends beyond alcohol and drug use. “You can be addicted to energy drinks. You can be addicted to ultra-processed food, gambling, sports betting, your phone, social media, toxic relationships, anything. They mirror those addictive circuits in the brain,” he said. 

The university is looking to explore a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support these efforts. Dunkel emphasized the center’s mission to provide a safe and inclusive space for all students. “I think sometimes people are very linear thinkers, and they’re like, ‘That’s for people in AA. It’s also for allies, it’s for—just, you can come in and hang out and use the space, you know, learn something new.” 

The Raider Wellness Resource Center continues to grow and collaborate across the university. Any Shippensburg University member looking for a safe space is encouraged to utilize the center.  

Raider Wellness Resource Center Hours:
Monday – Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.  
Tuesday – Friday:  11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Thursday: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. 

Upcoming programs and events:  

• Sober Curious Group – every Thursday at 3:30 pm 

• Therapy Dogs —- Kindly Canines, visit the center the first Wednesday of each month, 11:30 am-1:30 pm 

• Mindfulness series with Dr. Sato – next session is on February 30, themed “Loving Friendliness”, 3:30 pm-4:25 pm 

• SUD Ally Support Group (student led) – Tuesday at 3:00pm 

• The Wellness Fair is scheduled for April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the CUB. 

Stay up to date by following the centers’ IG pages: @SU_Connection_AOD  and @shipwellness