Student Transitions
Playbook_Advocate_Edition

WMU Wellness Playbook: Student Success Advocate Edition

About the WMU Wellness Playbook

The WMU Wellness Playbook is a resource that brings together all of the services and programs WMU offers in one convenient place for students. The playbook highlights many of the experiences and opportunities students may encounter during their time on campus and organizes them by wellness dimension and the time in their academic journey that they should be explored. Each of these dimensions contribute to not only a healthy lifestyle, but create a safe environment as students process and develop their identity. 

Social Wellness Icons, provided below and used throughout this document, were developed by the Wellbeing Collective and shared with campus so students could quickly identify how an event/resource would contribute to their wellness and through which dimension. 

Accessing the Playbook

All plays of the playbook from the time a student arrives to the time they transition to their first job post graduation are available by clicking here.

Using the Playbook with Students

As partners in student success, you play a critical role in helping students connect their everyday experiences to their overall well-being and success at Western Michigan University. The WMU Wellness Playbook is designed to serve as a conversation starter, a planning tool, and a guide for intentional student development across all dimensions of wellness. 

By incorporating the Playbook into your interactions with students, you can help them identify meaningful opportunities, set achievable goals, and build habits that support both personal growth and academic success. Your engagement helps students see wellness not as a checklist, but as an active and personalized journey throughout their time at WMU. 

While we provide you sample plays for students in each of the dimensions of wellness, we encourage you to use the note spaces to jot down your own examples that you would share with students, either from around campus or specifically within your job or function. 

WMU Wellness Playbook x Student Success Hub

Every year after Census Day in the fall, students will have two plans added to their Student Success Hub account. The first is an Academic Success Plan. This plan is developed by Academic Advising and covers all the plays for their intellectual wellness development. The second plan added to the account is a WMU Wellness Playbook plan. This plan highlights the “key plays” to start them off on their wellness journey for the year. 

Students are in control of their journey and can always reach out to their academic advisors to add additional plays to their Student Success Hub account. 

Pre-arrival Preparedness Plan

To help students get acclimated to checking their WMU email and their Student Success Hub account when first making the transition to WMU, we load a Pre-Arrival Preparedness Plan into their Student Success Hub account. This plan outlines the key plays that will help with their transition to WMU. 

Sample Pre-Arrival Preparedness Plan plays for students: 

  • Learn new life skills like doing your laundry
  • Review Housing’s move-in checklist
  • Transfer prescriptions to the Sindecuse Pharmacy
  • Sign-up for Public Safety’s WMU Alerts 

Purpose

This category of wellness deals with forming connections with others and feeling a sense of belonging with their friends and loved ones. Having the social category fulfilled ensures that they build a strong support system that you can lean on while also being there for others by maintaining healthy relationships. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Check in with your Peer2Peer Mentor
  • Explore a few registered student organizations
  • Attend activities hosted by your Residence Hall
  • Take a trip to Downtown Kalamazoo
  • Attend a K Wings Hockey game

 

Helpful Resources

  • Western Michigan Universities Facebook Page
  • Discover Kalamazoo
  • Office of Student Engagement
  • Experience WMU 

Purpose

Emotional wellness is all about processing feelings in a healthy and productive way. With a focus on this category, students are allowing themselves to be vulnerable and tackle their feelings head on rather than letting them fester. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Identify two individuals that you can trust and go to when you are stressed
  • Begin a mood-tracking journal to reflect weekly
  • Schedule downtime each day/week for an emotional recharge
  • Check in on friends and family every once in a while

 

Helpful Resources

  • WMU Wellness Playbook
  • LBGT Student Services
  • WMU Campus Safety
  • Uwill
  • WMU Health Promotion and Education 

Purpose

While pursuing higher education, there will be so many opportunities on campus that students may not be aware of. While intellectual wellness can refer to studies, it can also refer to important deadlines to ensure they are not stressed with a last minute discovery. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Register for FYE 2100
  • Register with Disability Student Services
  • Attend a guest speaker presentation
  • Meet with your instructors and learn more about their background
  • Learn about WMU Signature 

 

Helpful Resources

  • Academic Advising Offices
  • Miller Auditorium
  • Autism Services Center
  • Disability Services for Students
  • The Bronco Study Zone
  • Student Success Services 

Purpose

Finding a job isn’t easy. The goal of occupational wellness is to make students aware of where they can find a job while also pointing them to resources for improving the way they market themselves, such as their resume, cover letter, or portfolio. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Activate Your Handshake Account
  • Sign-up and attend Career Academy
  • Conduct an informational interview to learn more about career paths that interest you
  • Complete the Career Readiness Online Modules
  • Use O’Net to explore career options 

 

Helpful Resources

  • Handshake
  • Broncos Lead Internships
  • WMU Advising Services
  • Career and Student Employment Services 

Purpose

Environmental wellness is all about making sure your spaces are clean and healthy. Encourage students to strive for inclusivity in the spaces that they occupy, while also being aware of environmental impacts and encouraging them to live life a little greener. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Identify your study spot
  • Personalize and organize your living/study space for productivity and comfort
  • Learn how to recycle and use eco-friendly resources at WMU
  • Learn campus safety resources, and if needed, practice an emergency

 

Helpful Resources

  • Asylum Lake Nature Preserve
  • S.H.E Shed
  • myStop App
  • Office for Sustainability 

Purpose

Awareness of the financial benefits they receive as college students, while also building good personal finance skills, can help reduce stress and ensure they are prepared for unexpected expenses. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Create a monthly college budget
  • Track all expenses for one month to evaluate spending habits
  • Learn how easy it is to save for an emergency
  • Research scholarship opportunities 

 

Helpful Resources

  • Office of Financial Aid
  • Budgeting Apps
  • Sanford Center for Financial Planning and Wellness
  • Military and Veterans Affairs
  • PNC Bank

Purpose

A common misconception is that spiritual wellness is solely focused on religion. While religion can be a big part of wellness, spiritual wellness can also refer to how aligned students feel about their values and beliefs. Reflection on their actions and how they are upholding their core values can also fulfill this dimension. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Attend a performance at Miller Auditorium
  • Explore cultural organizations at WMU and the Kalamazoo area
  • Attend a global event/activity
  • Set aside time each week for reflection or journaling 

 

Helpful Resources

  • Mind Spa
  • Kanley Chapel
  • Student Concern Form
  • Student Recreation Center
  • Office of Health Promotion and Education 

Purpose

Physical wellness can play a very important role in a student’s identity development. Exercise can help reduce stress and increase energy throughout the day. This doesn’t mean students need to do an intense workout; simply taking a walk or practicing yoga can greatly benefit overall health. 

 

Sample Playbook Plays for Students

  • Try a fitness class at the Student Recreation Center
  • Identify 2-3 personal health and wellness goals
  • Create a balanced routine between sleeping, eating, going to class, studying, and participating in community activities
  • Take a Health/Group Fitness class at the Student Recreation Center 

 

Helpful Resources

  • Dining Services
  • Student Recreation Center
  • Sindecuse Health Center
  • FIRE Place Resource and Support Center
  • Montgomery Essential Needs 

Common Acronyms

(Explained!)

CAS - College of Arts and Sciences

CoA - College of Aviation

CEAS - College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

CEHD - College of Education and Human Development

CFA - College of Fine Arts

CHHS - College of Health and Human Services

HCoB - Haworth College of Business

LHC - Lee Honors College

MTC - Merze Tate College

OST - Office of Student Transitions

OSE - Office of Student Engagement

WSA - Western Student Association

CAB - Campus Activities Board

SOC - Student Organization Center

SC - Student Center

RSO - Registered Student Organization

ODI - Office of Diversity & Inclusion

WES - WMU Essential Studies

MAS - Multicultural Affairs for Students

VDC - Valley Dining Center

SRC - Student Recreation Center

NCHC - National Collegiate Hockey Conference

MAC - Mid-American Conference

TA/GA - Teaching Assistant / Graduate Assistant

RA - Resident Assistant

OSL - Orientation Student Leader

Quick Phone Directory

Office of Student Transitions - (269) 387-2167 

Autism Services Center - (269) 387-6313 

Campus Safety - (269) 488-8911 

Career and Student Employment Services - (269) 387-2745 

IT Computer Help Desk - (269) 387-4357 

Dining Services - (269) 387-4844 

Disability Services for Students - (269) 387-2116 

Financial Aid/Bronco Express - (269) 387-6000 

Graduate College - (269) 387-8212 

Housing and Residence Life - (269) 387-4735 

Montgomery Essential Needs - (269) 387-0706 

Multicultural Affairs for Students - (269) 387-4420 

Office of Diversity and Inclusion - (269) 387-6313 

Office of Student Engagement - (269) 387-2115 

Office of University Ombuds - (269) 387-0718 

Registrar’s Office - (269) 387-4300 

Sindecuse Health Center - (269) 387-3287 

Student Success Services - (269) 387-3383 

About the Office of Student Transitions

The Office of Student Transitions is committed to supporting all undergraduate students, including first-years, transfers, and contemporary adult learners. We assist and support students in developing social networks, understanding the expectations of academic rigor, learning about the vast opportunities and resources at Western Michigan University, and preparing for life beyond WMU.