UTEP’s Student Wellbeing Initiative hosted the “Love your body week” which started Monday, Feb. 21, and ran through Friday, Feb. 25. The organization hosted different events and activities about healthy body image and self-esteem and students were also informed about eating disorder awareness and prevention. 

Activities included “Mirrorless Monday” which consisted of positive messages written on bathroom mirrors across campus and supported healthy body image and self-esteem. 

“Beauty starts in your head, not in the mirror” and “Your power is radical” are just some of the enlightening sayings that students got to see when they used the restroom.  

On Tuesday, the speaking up against cyberbullying presentation was held in the Union East Acacia room, and it was an interactive presentation about how digitized instances of psychological and emotional violence impact different populations and college students. 

Later in the day was “Yoga for Everybody.” Students who participated got to practice their yoga skills during a two-hour session. Participants showed their bodies love through physical movement at the MAC Court at the UTEP rec center. 

The body image art fair was held on Wednesday and Thursday at Centennial Plaza.  Students and faculty participated in different activities and made their own stuffed animals and got to stencil their own t-shirts and cards with positive messages.  

UTEP student Jailene Gallegos was working at one of these booths, and believes this event was a great way for students to learn more about self-love. 

“Students get to have fun while doing arts and crafts that teach them to love themselves and reminds them that they are beautiful,” said Gallegos. “People seem to be enjoying taking time out of their day to come here and getting to be creative.” 

The last event was the Love Your Body table, at the Union East west entrance. Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) was there to hand out free stuff to students and to talk about the services they provide to everyone on campus.  

“Love your body week to me means that you love and accept yourself mind, body, and soul and you do not feel the need to change yourself to fit society’s view of what being attractive is,” said Junior Arrelia Vittia.  

The Student Wellbeing Initiative is also hosting Alcohol awareness week, the week of March 8-10. The focus is to inform UTEP students of the dangers of alcohol and the role alcohol can play in everyday life and the effects of it.  

To see other events that will be hosted by the Student Wellbeing Initiative visit Minetracker. For  information on the organization visit https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/dean-of-students-office/wellbeing/index.html.  

Alyson Rodriguez is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]; @alyson_rod1127 on Twitter