“Are You OK?” day tackles housing stress

Warwick Students’ Union (SU) hosted its second “Are You OK?” day on Thursday 24 November. This month’s focus was on housing stress.

The campaign launched last month with the goal to be more open about mental health and wellbeing. It primarily aims to promote dialogue between friends, destigmatise student mental health and encourage people to ask each other if they are okay.

The event was pioneered by Chloe Wynne, Warwick SU’s Welfare-Campaigns Officer. When asked about this month’s housing focus, she told the Boar: “Housing is a fundamental part of the university experience. We spend far more time in our halls and rented homes than we do in the library, lab or seminar room.”

She added: “Yet, we don’t pay it enough attention, and we often settle for less – much less – than we ought to, in terms of conditions.

“I’m hoping to promote the SU’s Housing Day, reassure students that there’s people who can help with their housing problems, and let first years know that there is no need to rush into sorting accommodation and ending up in a risky situation.”

Warwick SU will be holding its annual Housing Day on Wednesday 30 November. Students will have the opportunity to speak to members of the SU Advice Centre team, Warwick Accommodation, Sabbatical Officers, community organisations and other students about all the various housing options available.

Many societies have got involved in organising events. Athletics, WASS, Pride, Mind Aware, Art Society and Ladies Hockey are amongst those that have been pro-active in this.

This month’s “Are You OK?” day also included an art chill out session, disclosure referral training, housing info sharing for LGBTQA+ students, a food bank collection, a free circuits session, a mental health focused discussion group and a club night at Zephyr Lounge.

However, not everyone has been as receptive to the campaign. Allegedly, the Maths department have been particularly reluctant to get involved.

Chloe Wynne has encouraged Maths students to contact the department to get them to participate in the “Are You OK?” campaign. She has created a standardised letter which students can then personalise and send themselves.