Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'.
[00:00:10] Speaker A: All.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And it's still February.
[00:00:16] Speaker C: We're still rocking and rolling in February.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: I know. You know, I know we've had a lot of conversations since the year has started about how long January has been, but you know what? We're really trekking through February.
You know, we've had some good weather days, which has been crazy. I know, Nika, before we officially got the show started, we were talking about the flu and all of that stuff, but, man, I just.
[00:00:40] Speaker C: I don't know, I'm just ready for, you know, warm weather, longer days, you know, I just feel like if we can just open our windows up and get some fresh air in and, you know, just some spring. I feel like a lot of the germs might just float away.
[00:00:56] Speaker B: I agree. Now, you have probably mentioned this before, so forgive me for asking this again, but, you know, just as you were talking about, like, hoping it was spring opening up the windows, what is your favorite time of the year? Because I also feel like, my friend, you have allergies, right?
[00:01:17] Speaker C: Yes, I do. So spring is going to get me and fall gets me the changing of, you know, things.
Birthing. Yes. Like, so, you know, new. New flowers, new trees, but then also things dying. So in the fall when the leaves are starting to decay. My favorite season, though, is the summer. Really, by far.
I am a. I give me nine o' clock sunsets.
[00:01:42] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:01:42] Speaker C: What about you?
[00:01:44] Speaker B: I like the fall. Maybe early fall.
It's not. And it reminds me of the movie Miss Congeniality where it's like, describe your perfect date and she's like, April 25th. So maybe mine would be September.
Some. Some.
[00:02:00] Speaker C: Sometime in September 20th. September 21st. Is that the song from Earth, Wind and Fire?
[00:02:06] Speaker B: Maybe.
Yeah.
[00:02:07] Speaker C: Which it was last September.
[00:02:09] Speaker B: Do you know, I do like the song September. Maybe because both of my children were born in the month of September, but also just the time of the year, you know, it's the. The season changes also, too. September gives my husband enough planning time to get ready for whatever he wants to get me for my birthday in November.
All that good, Stu.
[00:02:29] Speaker C: I don't know.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: You know, again, I was just kind of thinking about the seasonal things and everything else, and it's. It's crazy to think about where we are in the semester, the fact that it's 2026, all that kind of good stuff.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, February is flying by.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: Yes. Now, tell me, what is the mindset of the students in your courses at this point in the semester? Like, what's on their mind? Are they thinking about spring break? Are they in it to win it in the classroom? Like, what's. What's the psyche of your students? Is that a loaded.
[00:03:01] Speaker A: Well, no.
[00:03:01] Speaker C: So as our listeners know, we don't record this on Sunday. We air this on Sunday. So we record on a Monday. So today was actually their first exam for me. But I know a lot of them have had exams in other classes. I think right now they're just kind of nose to the grindstone still, you know, getting that groove of learning their teachers and how they're going to ask questions on an exam. And I haven't seen any senioritis.
[00:03:35] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So you have a lot of upperclassmen, correct?
[00:03:37] Speaker C: Yeah, I haven't seen any. Like, I'm just tapping out, waiting for spring break.
I'm still seeing a lot of the, you know, getting at it.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Which is good.
[00:03:47] Speaker C: I love that.
[00:03:47] Speaker B: No, that is really good. And actually that's a good segue into thinking about our show today.
You know, we always pride ourselves in having fabulous guests. And of course, this episode is going to be no exception whatsoever. We actually have two guests today, which is really fabulous. But, you know, I think for students who are like, oh, my gosh, it's still really early in the semester, I want to think about things that I want to get involved with. I even want to go ahead and proactively think about what next fall is going to be like for me. This is the episode for you to listen to today, right? Yes. So with that said, we're going to take a quick break, go get hydrated, run to the restroom, do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:04:36] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:04:45] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: That's right. And just before the break, Neeka and I, we were talking about our favorite time of the year, our favorite date, as in date of the year, not person or experience and all of that good stuff. But thankfully, that is not what we're talking about today. Today we are actually going to be talking about the Advisory Council on Wellness. This is not the first time we have had the council on the show. And the reason that this is not the first time is because this is such an important community here at the university of Alabama. And there's no better folks to be talking about it today other than Mr. Weston Poff, who is the council chair, as well as Mr. Ryland Dempsey, the selections chair for the ACW. So, you guys, thank you for being on the show today.
[00:05:37] Speaker D: Thank you for having us.
[00:05:38] Speaker B: Absolutely. Now, you guys know our formula on the show, listeners. We typically like to use this segment to really get to know our guests. And so I'm going to let Weston and Rylan kind of duke it out to see who talks first. But we'd love for y' all to introduce yourselves. Tell me, hometown major, why did you choose to come to the Capstone?
[00:06:00] Speaker A: Well, I'll start us off. My name is Weston Poff. I'm from Nashville, Tennessee.
I'm studying civil engineering and UA was.
I'm originally a Tennessee fan through and through. I bleed orange. My whole family does. So I was kind of the black sheep to make the choice here. But after touring, getting to see the campus, getting to see some of the facilities, some of the scholarship stuff, it just made the most sense for me.
[00:06:24] Speaker D: That's great.
[00:06:25] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:26] Speaker B: Rylan, how about you?
[00:06:27] Speaker D: So my name is Rylan Dempsey. I'm a junior from Birmingham, and I am in new college where you individualize a course of study. That's why I came to ua. So I've designed a major that's around public leadership and civic life.
And so I took that opportunity to be able to create my own path, which was an amazing thing, and that kind of drove me to come to Tuscaloosa.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay. So given that, what is endgame for you? So tell me, like, what is this dream job that you have built that has helped you curate the major that you have?
[00:07:00] Speaker D: Well, that's a great question. A lot of new college students come to the table with a really clear definition of where they want to go.
I'm interested in public life, so that may be philanthropy, community involved, involvement. I'm working in economic development right now, so recruiting industrial businesses and maybe the government.
[00:07:19] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:07:19] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:07:20] Speaker B: Well, I just. I feel like we have. We have some smart people.
We do.
[00:07:25] Speaker C: So what area of engineering are. Did you tell me I'm in Civil.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: Civil, that's right.
[00:07:31] Speaker C: Are you wanting to do like, bridge design, road design?
[00:07:36] Speaker A: I actually recently accepted a full time job doing development services. So that's kind of all the site work and the grading and anything basically before it goes vertical. So I'm excited to be doing that.
[00:07:47] Speaker C: Very cool.
[00:07:49] Speaker A: It's very exciting. It's all kind of like a puzzle. You get the plans and where you can and can't build, and then you just kind of build that up from scratch. And I think that's what I really, really like about engineering.
[00:08:00] Speaker B: Well, you know, I think so. It's so interesting listening to the two of y', all because again, as we're, you know, we're going to be talking about what the Advisory Council on Wellness is, but even just by the title, you know, you're hearing the word wellness, most people would assume that the students that interface this council have a health related background or academic major. And so here I am hearing you guys not mention those words. So what made you guys interested in this opportunity?
[00:08:31] Speaker A: I think for me, I've always been really passionate about community and community building, which the technical side of that led me to civil engineering, but the relational side of it led me to the Advisory Council because I wanted to find a place at the university where I could make a real impact and help contribute to creating that sense of community, that sense of third space safety for all students on campus. And that was kind of how I heard about the Advisory Council. And that's kind of what led me in that direction to apply. Sure.
[00:09:01] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:09:02] Speaker D: You know, for me, I come from a background in politics and politics is people. And so when I came to ua, this seemed to be one of the greatest group of people focused on building life, building a better quality of life on campus and doing that from a health perspective. My mom is in healthcare, so I've had a. An interest always in healthcare. My first love was to be a doctor. I wore scrubs to preschool every single day. So I have always wanted to be in healthcare. And I've kind of ventured off into another life now. But this is a great avenue for me to be able to kind of unite those interests.
[00:09:38] Speaker C: So how did you hear about. I know you kind of told us, Weston, but Rylan, how did you hear about the Advisory Council when you got here at Capstone?
[00:09:48] Speaker D: So I came to college with this deep interest in social connection. And I had interned with a startup, a technology startup that helped organizations build relationships. So there was a methodology, a data and science back methodology to create social connection. So I was very interested in isolation and loneliness on college campuses. I was also interested in the fact that we were losing students early.
Students would come to college and in weeks or months in their first semester would leave. And I was always curious, why was that? And so I had had conversations with people, with professors around campus and quickly got pointed in Dr. Perez's direction. And so I visited with him to talk about these issues. And he said, you need to come join the Advisory council.
So. And I don't want to get ahead of where we're going, but that was freshman year and I joined ACW my freshman year and here we are in my third year and it's been a wonderful experience.
[00:10:46] Speaker B: That is amazing. Now you mentioned, you know, you're in your third year and then Weston, for you. I don't know if I actually mentioned this yet, but the very first time we had the Advisory Council on Wellness, Weston, you came along, you were kind of wet behind the ears, you know, kind of a newbie. And so now here you are as chair of the council.
[00:11:06] Speaker A: Yes, it's a big difference. I don't know, I'm a little bit older, a little bit wiser, hopefully.
I joined also the end of my freshman year. That's when I applied. And I think just that journey for me of going from feeling like a student to feeling like a member of the community and a member of the campus has been the biggest aspect of the Advisory council that I really loved. And I'm grateful to be back again. So thank you. I guess we did a good enough job that we got the invite back.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
So we keep talking Advisory Council on Wellness. And so I feel like at this point we would be remiss if we did not tell our listeners what is the Advisory Council on Wellness?
What is the mission and goal of the council?
[00:11:48] Speaker A: Absolutely, absolutely. So the Advisory Council on Wellness is within the division of student life. And we reflect a lot of that mission, a lot of that value statement.
Our end goal is to have students have every aspect of their health and well being met on campus. We follow something called the Alabama Model, which is a seven component model that looks at every aspect of student well being. And we utilize quantitative research through surveys and feedback on campus to figure out what aspects of our students well being needs to be addressed. And then we come together as a council of 12 undergraduate and graduate students. And that culminates in a white paper that we write every single year. And we present that white paper to the Division of Student Life. And through that they're able to, we give some recommendations that are then able to be implemented as real feedback. And sometimes we see those through physical manifestations on campus, which is really exciting. And some of them are still in the works, some of them are farther down the road. But that's really our goal is to get things in front of students and opportunities for students for them to be their best selves.
[00:12:56] Speaker B: I'm just thinking hashtag important work.
[00:12:58] Speaker C: You know, very impressive. Very, very impressive students sitting in front of us.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: Yes. Well, you know, I know that we're about to have to take a break, but before we do that, you know, Weston, you just briefly mentioned that, you know, everything kind of culminates each year into a white paper with recommendations. And so, given the. That the two of you have several years under your belt on the council, do you guys have a favorite topic or white paper topic that's kind of been your favorite? And, you know, we won't mention yet what. What the current white paper is. So without thinking about the current one, what is, you know, a favorite from years past, if you don't mind sharing that.
[00:13:38] Speaker A: I mean, I can start us off. We wrote last year on basic needs and security, and I think that's probably been my favorite one.
Just understanding all aspects of campus where we sometimes fall short, but also the wealth of resources that exist. I think that's a big part of being on the council that motivates me is we do this research. We see where students are struggling, and throughout our research process, we end up finding so many places where students where we already have campus resources that can help out. And so I think doing that topic last year was really, really beneficial for me to understand what does exist. And it's like, oh, this campus has got a lot going, and we set our students up well for success.
[00:14:18] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:14:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:18] Speaker D: That's a great time.
The council did a paper on addiction, which was very interesting, and you may remember that from the time that the ACW was here prior. So that was before my time. But we always are looking back at prior white papers to kind of help guide us, whether it be the structure or the research that's involved. And so we've taken a lot of cues from that paper, and it's just a fascinating thing at a big SCC school to look at addiction all around.
And I'm excited to talk about the topic this year. So that's my favorite topic is the one we're working on right now.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: Okay, well, we're just gonna tease. Yeah, I know. We're gonna leave that teaser. You guys, we gotta take a quick break. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:15:11] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloo.
[00:15:21] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7, the capstone. And today we are joined by our guest, Weston Poff. Poff.
[00:15:30] Speaker A: Poff.
[00:15:32] Speaker C: Rylan Dempsey, who serve on The Advisory Council on Wellness here at the University of Alabama.
[00:15:38] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are, you know, just now joining, you've got to go back to our. Our previous segment to get to know Weston and Rylan better. You their journey to the council and what they've been doing here at the Capstone is really phenomenal work. And I know that prior to the break, Weston, you were mentioning that the Advisory Council on Wellness just the correlation with the Alabama model. And so can you kind of dive into that a little bit deeper in terms of how the Alabama model drives the work of the council?
[00:16:10] Speaker A: Absolutely. So, as I mentioned, it's seven components. Each of those components are an aspect of health and well being that the first council came together, decided reflected an important aspect of health and well being for students.
And through that, there's a development of a survey. And I'm sure most students have gotten it at some point. It's random and it happens a lot. You can go two years without getting it, or you could get it twice in a week. It just kind of depends on where you are in the system. But essentially, those surveys come through and they ask one question about a specific part of the model. For example, one of our big ones is social well being that we've kind of been focusing on recently. And the social well being question will ask, how do you feel about your relationships in the last week? And it asks you on a scale of 1 to 5, how confident you feel about it. We then take that data and we're able to process it and look at how these students feel across the board. If we're all at an equal level of all seven components, which has never been the case. And then we also look year to year to see changes between has social gone up and physical gone down? And psychological has stayed flat. And we kind of use that information to understand, okay, where do our students need more help?
And from there, we develop our topics. And really, the Alabama model is a way to look at health in a multifaceted way, understanding that all aspects of the model need to be fulfilled in order for complete health and well being.
[00:17:36] Speaker B: Yes. And, you know, so listeners, on our last episode, we actually had Mr. Brendan Rosman, who does our a lot of our financial wellness, financial literacy programming. And many of the initiatives that he listed were really birthed and inspired out of recommendations from.
From the council in the past. So it's kind of nice just getting to make that connection on air. So I appreciate you talking about how the Alabama model connects with the work that you do.
[00:18:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Absolutely. And I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the Adirondack chairs. I know we're talking about some of the recommendations and I think the Adirondack chairs that you see around campus, that came out of a recommendation from the COVID white paper back in 2020, about third spaces on campus. So I think that those are really.
[00:18:24] Speaker B: Exciting to a very tangible and specific and visual recommendation come to life. Because those are great. And the fact that they have continued to stay on campus, it wasn't just a, you know, social distancing thing and it served its time and place there. But it, you know, is really. I think it would be weird now to walk around the quad and then not see those chairs there.
[00:18:45] Speaker C: I would have loved to have had those when I was an undergrad, wouldn't you? Yes. We just had the benches.
[00:18:50] Speaker B: I know, that were hard. Yes.
[00:18:52] Speaker C: I mean, Adirondack chairs are hard. But at least you can like, you can lounge.
[00:18:56] Speaker B: You can, yeah, you can circle around, feel kind of rustic, you know, all of that good stuff. Now, you know, speaking of health topics, because you are part of the target population as college students and also from your vantage point with having been on the council, what health topics do you believe are most important to and for college students?
[00:19:17] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, so, right, we're looking at that full scale dimension of wellness, but I will take a second to focus on that social piece which is what we're looking at this year. So we'll fulfill the teaser from the last segment.
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:19:32] Speaker D: So we're looking at. And if you don't mind, I'll just share a little bit about what we're looking at. We're looking at the, really the status of belonging on our campus. Where are students finding their place? Where are they making their place on campus?
Where are they?
How are we addressing loneliness and isolation? And so we're doing this kind of review like Weston talked about. A lot of this is looking at what resources we currently have. There's a lot out there. And so it's an audit of what do we currently have. And a lot of our recommendations come from.
Okay, we need to promote our current resources more.
But so I'll get back to social isolation and loneliness and sense of belonging.
The Surgeon General, which there was a report, Surgeon General Vivek Murphy several years ago put out a report that said that accused acute loneliness. Feeling loneliness is more harmful for the body, for our long term longevity than smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. That it is more a deprecation to your health that you are not in community and surrounded by people.
[00:20:41] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:20:41] Speaker B: And you know, and I'm sure most people are unaware of that, but are also sitting here, seeing, thinking. Well, that tracks.
[00:20:50] Speaker C: Yeah, exactly.
[00:20:51] Speaker D: Right. So we're thinking about, you know, every dimension is so important that people feel safe, whether it be with their finances or that they have spiritual wellness.
And so. But we found that social connection is vital, especially you've got students who are coming to a new place a lot, especially because we're an out of state school now. You got 60% of students are coming from far away and they don't have a safety, social safety net already created. If you're from Tuscaloosa, you can go home.
You know, you may have friends from high school. If you're from Birmingham, you got a lot of friends from high school.
We have a lot of people who. This is totally new territory. And so, you know, we have a responsibility as a university to create an environment that provides for social connection and quality and authentic social connection, which is an important part of that. Absolutely. It's not just seeing other people out and about or surface level interactions, but continued, repeated, deep and authentic engagement is something that's hard. It's so much easier said than done. But that's what we're looking at and it's so important.
[00:22:01] Speaker B: Yeah, it's like, how do you find your people?
[00:22:03] Speaker C: Right.
[00:22:04] Speaker D: Exactly.
[00:22:04] Speaker B: Well, you know, and I appreciate how much you articulated on that, Rylan. And it actually reminds me of a conversation, Weston, that I had with you when we were at NASPA Strategies in Chicago. I think I might have been sharing with you and Quentin, who is also a co chair on the council that I was mentioning with university programs, one of our departments on campus, you know, they do those large scale events at the beginning of the semester with weeks of welcome like Script A, Bama Jam, and then they do the smaller events continuously throughout the year. And Paige Acker Price, their director, had articulated once to me before that those large scale programs like Script A and Bama Jam are provided to give the students a sense of connection to the institution. But then with those smaller events that they do throughout the year and consistently Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, is for the students to be able to find connection amongst themselves and to find their people. And so I think that, you know, when you talk about that sense of belonging, it's not just to the institution as a whole and the brand of the capstone, but also finding your squad of people, your support system.
[00:23:15] Speaker D: That's all right. That's so right. I will share just an anecdote.
As I was thinking about our conversation today, I was looking at Brene Brown. Lots of people know Brene Brown. She became famous at this TED Talk on vulnerability. But she looks a lot at belonging. She's a researcher, and she said the opposite of belonging is fitting in. Because fitting in is assessing a group of people and figuring out how you have to change yourself to adapt to that group. And so some of this is. We're looking at. We want to create genuine belonging on our campus. That is creating an environment where students come to the university and know that they can be their full selves and be their whole selves here. And so that's just something that I wanted to share with listeners about what we're trying to create.
[00:24:04] Speaker B: I love that. Nika, I saw your facial expression and you were like, oh, mic drop.
[00:24:08] Speaker C: I like that. Yeah. I used to ask students, does this feel like home? And they do.
[00:24:15] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:24:16] Speaker C: It really does. And that's when I'm like, you know, I didn't have to ask too much more, but I knew that it's because they found their people.
Because it just feels like. Because when we go home, that's when we can be our authentic selves.
That's where we don't have to pretend. We can take a mask off. We can just let ourselves just be who we are. And so I'd say, you know, I would ask, do you like it here? Do you like your major? I would say, does this feel like home?
[00:24:43] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:24:43] Speaker C: When they were like, like, yeah. Or if they said no, you know, we would talk about why. And a lot of times it was, I haven't found my people yet.
[00:24:54] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:24:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:55] Speaker D: Well, I'm so glad that you were asking people that. One of the things that we've looked at is the importance of faculty, staff, and student connection. That's a pillar of feeling connected in college, is that you have connection with adults.
[00:25:07] Speaker C: Right.
[00:25:07] Speaker D: That you have authentic relationships, whether it be an advisor or a professor or a staff member. That's so important. So thank you for doing that.
[00:25:14] Speaker C: You're so welcome. And they. My. My students, I think, get a little irritated because I make them make friends in class, and I'm like, there's your professional networking, like, make a friend in class and ask them for your notes if you're not in class. And so I'm actually watching that happen where students will say, hey, I was not here last week. Can I get the notes? And a random student on the third row that sits way far away will perk up and go. You can have mine. And they'll share each other, you know, phone number or email account. And then you'll see them talk to each other the next time classes. And I'm like, this is. I mean, this way. We had to do it because, you know, we used to chisel our notes in stone like Fred Flint. We're so old.
[00:25:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:25:55] Speaker C: But we didn't just have like a group me or, you know, something.
[00:25:58] Speaker B: You had Facebook message somebody.
[00:26:00] Speaker C: You had to actually tap them on the shoulder and go, excuse me, can I borrow your notes? So, but I love it because it's kind of forcing.
It's old school, but it's forcing them to, you know, you have to be uncomfortable.
[00:26:13] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:26:13] Speaker A: And I think that's a big aspect of belonging is are you comfortable being uncomfortable? And if you can find a place that you are in a spot to be uncomfortable and that's okay. And you know that you'll have comfort at the end of the night. And I think that's where you find belonging and social well being.
[00:26:29] Speaker B: Well, and I love that. And I think that if listeners, if it is not already clear, I think it is, you know, clear as day. Clear as I'll get at that. Both Weston and Rylan have such a passion for what they do on the council. And part of the reason that we have the Advisory Council on Wellness today is because you guys are going through active recruitment right now. And so we are going to tease that really quick because we've got to take a break. But on the flip side, Rylan is going to enlighten us with what this application process looks like. So stay tuned, you guys. Grab something to drink, run to the restroom, do what you got do to ado. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:27:18] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:27:27] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, y'.
[00:27:28] Speaker B: All.
[00:27:28] Speaker C: You are listening to Fit to be Tied with Sheena And Neeka on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:27:33] Speaker B: That's right. And today we have had the absolute pleasure of having Mr. Westonpoff and Mr. Ryland Dempsey from the Advisory Council on Wellness. And we have talked about, you know, some of the past topics that the council has done. The. The white papers that are written, and one of the reasons that we have them on the show today is to let folks know how do you get involved? And now I think I teased earlier that you guys are currently in an application process. Is that correct?
[00:28:04] Speaker D: That's exactly right. Applications are open.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: Okay, so tell us a little bit about what that looks like. So, you know, we've got listeners that are like, oh my gosh, tell me more. Where do I go to get to the application? What does that process look like? You know, because we may have students that are used to applications for other student orgs and there's a lot of variability there in terms of the, the level and tiers of what that experience looks like.
[00:28:30] Speaker D: That's exactly right. So what's happening right now is at the beginning of of February, applications are written. Application Qualtrics form opened up. Students can go to ACW.sl UA edu. I think that's right. Student Wellness, StudentWellness sl UA edu and can apply. You can also find us on Instagram. And so that written application will close at the end of the month on February 22nd. 22nd at 11:59. Okay, so 11:58, that'll be good.
[00:29:02] Speaker B: Okay, cool.
[00:29:03] Speaker D: Before that, we also have our Sunday error.
[00:29:05] Speaker C: Everybody 22nd.
[00:29:07] Speaker D: Is that a Sunday they can listen to your show, then they can submit their application.
[00:29:11] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:29:12] Speaker D: So we have before that. Right. So there's going to be a written portion. They're going to answer questions about their interest. We're also going to have our Meet the Council event on the 17th at 6:30 in the Anderson Room of the Student Center.
[00:29:25] Speaker B: Okay, perfect.
[00:29:26] Speaker D: That is an opportunity to come, ask questions, to have a casual experience to meet the council, engage with fellow applicants, you know, deepen your interest and get all your questions answered. So we would encourage folks to come to our Meet the Council event on the 17th.
[00:29:42] Speaker A: And I would also want to emphasize that you do not have to have submitted an application to come. This is just an opportunity to learn more about what the council does, meet some of the members, decide if it's something you would like to apply to. If you've already applied, come meet us. We'll put a face to the name. It's just a really good opportunity and like Rylan said, very casual. We're just excited to see who all is here in.
[00:30:02] Speaker B: Okay, now you've got that written portion now as far as, you know, coming face to face with humans, you know, are they. Are the applicants that are chosen for an interview now, are they having to sit in front of all 12 of y'? All? Is it a few of y' all in the selection committee? Is it head to head with Dr. Todi Perez, our Associate VP of Health and well being? What does that look like?
[00:30:24] Speaker D: That's a great question. So we will. So we'll take those written applications and we'll slim it down to an interview pool and we'll have group interviews in the student center the first week of March.
That will be. So it's a written application and then there's just one in person interview.
[00:30:40] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:30:40] Speaker D: And from there we will, we will get our group.
[00:30:43] Speaker B: Okay, Very nice. Okay. Well, you know, I feel like if people are prepared for what that experience looks like. And so, you know, clearly we've gotten to talk about, you know, what the council has done in terms of white papers and recommendations. Are there other benefits to being involved in the organization that y' all want to share with our listeners today?
[00:31:07] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:31:07] Speaker D: Well, so we get to meet once a week for both semesters, Tuesday nights at 6:30. And so you get the opportunity to build these great relationships. I mean, you're spending an hour a week or more, depending on what committees you're on and what kind of outside of that normal time, you're spending time with each other. And what a joy it is to get to know Dr. Todi Perez as well. So that's a benefit that they can look.
[00:31:31] Speaker B: Absolutely. Well, no, and you're right, you guys, you meet frequently, you certainly become a community.
I think that when we've had the council on the show previously, we've had some discussions about what those different committees are. So, you know, when it comes down to writing the white paper and getting that done. Nika, I feel like our guests last year, Gracie and Wes, they were talking about how there's different committees related to doing the focus groups and then also doing some of the research and then doing the writing. I, I think me and you said that we wanted to be, we wanted to do the focus groups because we wanted to talk to people. Is that everyone does. Is that the same structure this year?
[00:32:12] Speaker A: So we have three committees. It's our focus groups, our writing team and our research team. Focus groups, they hit the ground running, formulate questions, bring people in, they get pizza too. So that's another perk of the focus groups committee. And I think that we do have a lot of interest in focus groups every single year.
And then research team takes a lot of existing literacy, looks at what exists and what's around, and then writing team puts it all together and tells a cohesive story.
[00:32:37] Speaker D: That's right. And then we all have the opportunity at the end to work on a rough draft together to refine that. And then one of my favorite parts is then working on actionable recommendations to administrators. And getting to see Dr. Perez and his team carry those forward is such a treat. And he always Says we don't do prescriptive recommendations. We do descriptive recommendations. And so we also let that be a byproduct of the research. We don't start with the recommendations, we end with the recommendations so that they are informed by everything that the students and the research has shared.
[00:33:08] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: I do too. And so I'm curious, have you guys tended to be on the same committee for each of the papers you've been involved with or have y' all like, hopped around over the years?
[00:33:23] Speaker D: That's a great question. So I've been on research both years.
[00:33:26] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:33:26] Speaker D: One of the things that, you know, with all organizations or just collection of students is continuity. And so when you have people who have been on a group before, it's really nice to keep them there so that they can train up the next group and so on and so forth.
[00:33:40] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:33:41] Speaker D: So we do try and keep people in similar committees when they're staying on so that there can be that kind of pass down of institutional knowledge and wisdom of how to do what we do. And so I've been on research. I was on research last year, and then this year I've had the opportunity to chair that group and help guide that process, which has been fantastic. Fantastic.
[00:34:01] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:34:02] Speaker A: And I have switched between research and writing team. So I actually studied abroad last fall, which didn't really, didn't serve well for me to be on research team, considering I missed most of the meetings that covered research that we had.
And so I pivoted to writing team and that was a really great opportunity and I think it helped how I was able to contribute to research team this year. Understanding the things that writing team needs from research, I think that's kind of been a challenge for us previously is understanding the balance between each team and how they need to communicate and talk. And so I've really enjoyed getting to see a little bit of research and writing. I'm remiss that I didn't get to do focus groups. However, they do a good job of sharing kind of what they need. And we all do a good job of getting to come together and talk about what we find.
[00:34:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:53] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:34:54] Speaker C: So as you've been on, you know, the advisory council on Wellness over your years, what are some of the go to tips that you have for prioritizing your health as a college student that you love to pull out of your bag of tricks and share the wealth of knowledge amongst your peers? Sometimes what's, what's something that you're like, hey, listen, I heard this one time, or I Learned this one time and I just, I have to tell everybody. I know.
[00:35:25] Speaker A: I think for me one of the biggest things things is be intentional.
I think familiarity with the Alabama model has really revolutionized the way that I look at my own health overall.
I know that I can't hit all seven components every single day. Sometimes I can't even get them in a week. But when I wake up and I have it in my mind that, okay, I'm going to look at this model and I'm going to what do I want to address? What today can I manage?
Sometimes, sometimes that's just my mental health and well being. Sometimes it's physical financial career. Sometimes I'm just on a roll. And then other days I get out of bed and I go to class and that's about it. And I look at that model and I say, okay, I've hit one or two of these metrics and that's an important thing.
I think. Also I feel like we keep going back to social well being. But that to me is.
It is kind of foundational to almost all of the other aspects of it. I mean, if you're able to have that community and that connection and that can influence you in the positive direction of all those other components, I think that that for me has been very important and very influential.
[00:36:32] Speaker C: I like how you mentioned that you're trying to take the initiative and you're trying to stay active, but you're giving yourself grace if it doesn't go as planned.
[00:36:44] Speaker A: Right. And that's college. That is every day is different.
[00:36:48] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:36:49] Speaker A: That's life.
[00:36:50] Speaker D: That's great.
Last year when we looked at basic needs, we talked about what do you need to thrive?
And one of the things we looked at was financial well being.
Of course you've heard about how much I love social connection and social well being, but I do want to just talk a little bit about financial well being.
We looked at some research that basically said students who feel they do not feel a sense of safety as it relates to their finances.
It is almost impossible to succeed academically and socially. Especially if we created a culture around kind of buying into social connection, which can be hard. Right. Like you've got to purchase this thing. So there's this consumer nature. I have to own this item to be able to fit in.
[00:37:42] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:37:42] Speaker D: And so one of the things that I've personally taken away is the habit of trying to save and feel a personal sense of safety as it relates to my finances.
I'll tell you, I don't have much coming in. But I try to save what I do have coming in because I've just seen how harmful and how much an impact, a negative impact it has when there is a lot of stress. And I felt.
[00:38:09] Speaker A: Felt that.
[00:38:10] Speaker D: And I don't like that feeling. And so that's been one takeaway, is trying to make sure to not get too crazy when we're in college, you know, to spend all your money away. You get some money and spend it all away. And the importance of saving so that all the other aspects of your health can thrive.
[00:38:28] Speaker B: Absolutely. No, I mean, what a great way to say that, because I think again, you know, I think I. About our latest episode with Brendan Rossman, and we're talking about, you know, just the concept of a budget. And while some students may see it as this limiting and punitive thing, it's like, no, this is a plan or blueprint for your money where you actually know where it's going. You can make it work for you, regardless of how much you have coming in. Like, there. There's a sense of control and awareness there. So I appreciate the fact that you shared that. And, you guys, we've gotta take another break, but we're hoping that you're willing to stay with us in our last little closing segment.
[00:39:06] Speaker A: Oh, we'd love to.
[00:39:07] Speaker D: We're here. Thank you for having us.
[00:39:08] Speaker B: Okay, we'll roll tide to that. So, you guys, we're gonna take a quick break. You're listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika.
[00:39:19] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:39:29] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You've been listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone. And we have been joined today by two wonderful guests who are students here at the Capstone, Weston Poff and Rylan Dempsey, who serve as Council Chair and selections Chair for Advisory Council on Wellness.
[00:39:50] Speaker B: That's right. And you guys, they have shared such wonderful information today, including the application process that is currently active for the council. So be sure that you listen to those details. And, you know, as we've been talking about the council, you know, their passion for the organization is clear. But I want to know what has been your most favorite memories from being on the council, you guys?
[00:40:15] Speaker A: Oh, my. That is.
That's really difficult. Let's see. So I've been on, I guess, three years.
This year, I had the opportunity to go to the NASPA Strategies convention up in Chicago.
Saw Sheena up there.
[00:40:28] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:40:30] Speaker A: A few other faculty from the university.
I think that that's probably been one of my favorite experiences. And it echoes back to I presented at urca, the Undergraduate Research fair, last year as well. I think sharing the work has probably been my favorite memory. And just seeing the passion in the room when you get to do that. And I think that that's a good reminder for me of how important it is and how real it is, what we do.
And, you know, when we were up in Chicago, we got to see a hockey game as well. So that. I mean, that just made it all worth it.
[00:41:00] Speaker B: I enjoyed it.
[00:41:01] Speaker A: I did, too. We saw a full team fight.
[00:41:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
Really? Yeah. I didn't know that. I knew fighting in hockey was a thing, but to really see it where they took their gloves off, threw them down, you know? You know, I was texting my husband, Terry, being like. And he's like, yes, this happens. But, yes, great memory, Rylan.
[00:41:19] Speaker A: How about for you?
[00:41:21] Speaker D: So every year, we have a dinner in the spring to celebrate the hard work. And you were talking about your favorite day, April 25th. About that time, we do a dinner, and it's a very tasty dinner. And just have the opportunity to get off campus. Change of scenery. We always meet in the same place, so. Change of scenery. Have some faculty staff join us from student life and just be able to enjoy each other's presence with the white paper being wrapped up and submitted and complete. And that's a really great sense of satisfaction that we have done all this hard work and now we get to celebrate. And so that's a great thing and a great memory of mine.
[00:42:04] Speaker B: Well, I like that.
[00:42:06] Speaker C: I love that.
[00:42:07] Speaker B: So I'm gonna. I'm throwing in one more question for y'. All. Has nothing to do with the Advisory Council on Wellness. It's more so me just, you know, I'm a curious person.
What is your favorite food?
[00:42:19] Speaker D: I'm gonna just start here, right here with a shameless plug.
Oh, my goodness. Thai basil. I live and breathe Thai basil sushi. Number two on the Strip.
[00:42:29] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:42:29] Speaker D: And I'm a big fan. So Massaman curry over there at Thai basil. Get you some Thai iced tea, get you some mango sticky rice and some basil rolls with extra sauce.
[00:42:42] Speaker B: Do you like things spicy?
[00:42:44] Speaker D: I do.
[00:42:44] Speaker B: You get it Thai hot?
[00:42:45] Speaker A: I do.
[00:42:46] Speaker B: Okay. Weston.
[00:42:47] Speaker A: Oh, he's making Thai basil sound really good right now.
I would say if I'm not gonna say Thai basil.
I'm a really big chow mein and kung pao chicken fan. It all started at Panda Express in the student center freshman year. And since then, I've been cooking my own recipes and finding. Cause I'm a big spice fan.
[00:43:07] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:43:07] Speaker A: So I would say some kung fu chicken and some chow mein.
[00:43:10] Speaker D: So maybe we're gonna do our semesterly dinner over there at Weston's house.
[00:43:14] Speaker B: Yeah. So Dr. Perez, like, hey, we have. We have a menu influence that we have for our spring dinner. Well, thank you guys so much.
[00:43:23] Speaker C: I know y' all have been.
All our guests are amazing, but you guys have just been just awesome and love hearing, you know, two wildly different major with different interests and different talents, but you come together and have the same passion for the same things.
And I love. I just love that. And it has happens to be about help.
[00:43:47] Speaker B: Absolutely. No, I. Yes, I am internally geeking. Well, I'm geeking out on the outside too. But this has been such a great show. And so for our listeners who are interested in learning more about the council, including the application process, if you go to UA's website, type in Advisory Council on Wellness and that will get you connected. And you guys, until next time, you have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:44:17] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
