UREC Activities Aid Retention, GPA

UofA research shows recreation usage leads to a higher freshman retention rate and GPA among all students. Some students report seeing improvement in academic performance and stress relief.

UA student using the Donna Axum Fitness Center in the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation building.

UA students who took part in University Recreation programs showed increases in retention and academic success, according to a study of the 2017-2018 freshman class.

UREC freshman participants reported a 9.2 percent higher return rate for their sophomore year than students who didn’t, according to the center’s study. Resources are included as part of UA tuition. UREC participants also performed better in the classroom. Users achieved an 11 percent increase in GPA over those who didn’t use it at all.

Lindsay Smith, the assistant director of Marketing and Public Relations, thinks it is important for freshmen to know what they have available, she said. By bettering their physical health, students also learn time management skills that can help their academic life, she said.

“We know that 85 percent of freshmen used our resources at least once. The more they continue to use them, the more likely they are to come back to school next year,” Smith said.

University Recreation tracked ID card swipes to count how often students attended a program. Those who spent more time using recreation had a higher cumulative GPA.

Smith focused mainly on freshmen for recruitment to UREC programs. With new students experiencing the stress of academics, unsupervised social life and newly discovered independence, the recreation staff wants to provide a comfortable environment for freshmen, Smith said.

During the first week on campus, University Recreation played host to an open house that showed activities available for students. Half of them were freshmen.

“You’re experiencing a completely new thing,” she said of first-year students. “We want to help you learn to balance school, time, social life and being away from home for the first time.”

Smith attended every new-student orientation session over the summer to give information about University Recreation. Smith also distributed 5,000 brochures to incoming freshmen.

Freshman Reilly Nichols already has participated in University Recreation every day in this new school year.

“Recreation was a big part of why I chose to attend the University of Arkansas,” he said. “I toured the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building during orientation, and I had read about it before.”

Nichols lived an active life during high school and plans to continue to lift weights and keep healthy habits while at the U of A, he said.

He has seen an improvement in his academic performance, stress relief and anxiety control Nichols said. He plans to participate more throughout the year and will be getting more involved during his remaining time on campus.

By creating healthful habits instead of playing video games in his room, Nichols said he sees an overall self-improvement.

CAPS Partner Increases NWA Mental Health Access

ThrivingCampus is a database that helps students, faculty and staff find available mental health providers in the area. ThrivingCampus accepts 115 insurance plans and offers 75 specialties.

Counseling and Psychological Services is located on the second floor at the Pat Walker Health Center.

Even after doubling capacity at UA Counseling and Psychological Services, staff schedule up to 15 new appointments daily and are full almost weekly, Pat Walker Health Center staff said. More than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed as having a mental illness during their lifetime and one in five will experience a mental illness in a given year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Expanding the Health Center was something we had been focused on since 2004 when we realized we exhausted our space,” said Zac Brown, the assistant director of communications at the Pat Walker Health Center.

Long-term mental health care is available to UA students, faculty and staff this semester with a new CAPS partner. CAPS staff connected with ThrivingCampus over the summer to increase mental health access, Brown said.

ThrivingCampus is a database that lists available mental health care providers in the area. Users have access to 75 different specialties that include anxiety, depression, internet addiction and body image.

Users can choose specific qualities such as gender, language, race and religion when finding mental health care on ThrivingCampus.

“Being able to narrow that focus down and find that correct mental health provider is going to lead to a much better relationship,” Brown said. “It will put students at a lot more ease.”

Clinicians can list their services for free, but they are screened for valid licenses, said Melissa Atkinson, clinical case manager for CAPS.

ThrivingCampus was introduced for students to have easier access finding clinicians, Atkinson said. Previously, staff used a 207-page Microsoft Word document database of clinicians in the area.

“It’s clunky, difficult to use and dated,” Atkinson said. “We don’t know in real time which community provider has availability, if they’re still paneled with that insurance or even still in practice.”

ThrivingCampus accepts 115 insurance plans. CAPS does not accept any, but the rates are “unbelievably lower than what they are in the community,” said Mary Alice Serafini, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs, executive director of Pat Walker Health Center.

At CAPS, an initial psychiatric consultation is $85 and a follow-up is $40. Regular counseling is $20 a session after the initial assessment.

“When a student says ‘that is way over the top’, we immediately do a budget review with them to see how much they can afford to pay,” Serafini said. “We don’t want anybody to go without care.”

Private care can range from $75 to $275, depending on insurance coverage.

The UofA employs 18 full-time clinicians and two part-time psychiatrists at CAPS, Serafini said. The ratio of clinician to student is 1-to-1,500 at CAPS, she said. This meets the recommended standard set by the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.

“In a perfect world, we would have enough clinicians to see every student; that’s not realistic,” Brown said. “With mental health having a high demand and lower supply, we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help as many students that are looking for mental health services.”

The CAPS staff workload increases as the semester continues, Brown said. Staff try to keep the waiting period under two weeks. Most students get an appointment within a few days.

“There becomes a period of time when we don’t have the availability. If we can’t meet the need then we can help find a community provider who can,” Atkinson said.

ThrivingCampus is used by universities nationally. Students can search for mental health care near other partnering schools.

“One of the nice aspects of this program is that if a student from Texas wanted to find mental health care outside of northwest Arkansas, we have access to all the area universities that are partnered with ThrivingCampus,” Brown said.

The UA Registered Student Organizations, Active Minds and the Mental Health Awareness Organization promote positive mental health on campus. A Mental Health Resource Fair is scheduled at 11 a.m. Oct. 10 in the Arkansas Union.

The Pat Walker Health Center pays $750 annually to provide ThrivingCampus for students, faculty and staff, Serafini said. Users can get access to ThrivingCampus for free with the link on the Pat Walker Health Center website.