As the Fall 2015 semester gets underway, Sacramento State's record 30,023 students will find plenty of new programs and services waiting to make their college experience a rewarding one. They include: 

Health services

Student Health and Counseling Services will open the Wellness Hub in the University Union. Located across the walkway from The Buzz patio, the center is another avenue by which students may connect with Health Center staff, counselors, professional health educators, and Peer Health Educators. The Wellness Hub will offer individual counseling, stress reduction and mindfulness workshops, and drop-in programs.

“The new wellness space in the Union provides an exciting opportunity for Student Health and Counseling Services to expand our mental health services and educational programs,” says Reva Wittenberg, associate director of Campus Wellness. “It will allow us to serve more students and continue to build a healthy campus culture.”

Other Student Health and Counseling offerings include:

• "Send Silence Packing": A traveling display of 1,100 backpacks representing the 1,100 college students who die by suicide each year; Monday, Oct. 5, Library Quad.
• Post Secret U: An open and safe campus-based forum for students to express their secrets, regrets, fears, desires, and talents through art; Nov. 2-6, Univesity Union Lobby.
• We Care, We Step In – Active Bystander Training: A 90-minute training to help students build skills to safely step in and interpret situations that may lead to sexual assault or dating/domestic violence. Available upon request for student organizations, classes, and other groups; (916) 278-3799.

For more information on Health and Counseling programs, call (916) 278-6461 or visit shcssacstate.org/.

Academics

The Center for International Programs and Global Engagement has a new home on campus. Previously located in Lassen Hall, the center has moved to roomier quarters in University Library Room 1001 off the building’s central breezeway. The new location has higher visibility than the former site and will make it easier for staff to provide a unifying focus to Sac State’s diverse applied research, creative work, and education efforts to support the globalization of the campus.

“The new space is wonderful and very convenient for access by students, staff, and faculty,” says Frank Li, assistant vice president of International Programs and Global Engagement. “The rapidly globalizing and inextricably bound world of the 21^st century requires us to include a strong global perspective in the learning experience we provide to our students.”

Programs and activities include making scholarships and fellowships available to students, expanding opportunities for students to study and participate in internship programs overseas, increasing international enrollment at the University, and facilitating visits to Sac State by international faculty, researchers, and scholars.

The Sacramento State Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars Center is scheduled to open soon as a part of the Student Academic Success and Educational Equity Programs Unit adjacent to Lassen Hall 2205. The center will offer scholars many components, including leadership development, a research connection with faculty, and retreats where scholars can pair up with alumni leaders who have expertise in a range of career-related areas.

Associate Vice President Marcellene Watson-Derbigny has provided the foundation for the project through the work of the Campus Educational Equity Committee and the newly formed Task Force on African American Student Success. Tina Jordan will lead an introduction of the center to students, faculty, and staff through various events and activities offered during the fall semester. Additional information about the program can be found at www.csus.edu/saseep/sacstatemlkscholars.

Other new academic programs:

• A master's of science in finance program offered through self-support at the College of Continuing Education.
• A Certificate of Academic Achievement in Global & Multicultural Perspectives offered through Academic Affairs’ Undergraduate Studies.
• The Graduate Student Advisory Council, which will represent Sac State graduate students and serve as the student advisory group to the dean and Associated Students Inc.'s director of Graduate Studies.

The WELL

The WELL, the campus recreation and wellness center, has plenty of new activities for students looking to stay fit during their time at Sac State.

• Hornet Hill: A special-themed climbing route where students can enhance their wellness efforts while garnering more school spirit.
• Perform WELL Workshop: The workshop teaches WELL members about the use and techniques of various equipment in the center. The free workshops are offered from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month and are conducted in small groups.
• New equipment: Ten Woodway Treadmills with touch screens are coming to the center, along with a new Olympic platform with additional weights, a new cable jungle, and several new pieces of strength training equipment.

For more information about The WELL, visit thewell.csus.edu/ or call (916) 278-9355.

University Union

Some of the University Union’s services are in new locations, and several areas have a new look:

• The LAB (the Union’s design services) has moved to the third floor. That’s where you’ll now also find the Union’s Programs and Marketing and Operations units.
• The Terminal Lounge has a more welcoming decorative scheme. Visitors can listen to music, watch videos, read magazines, borrow phone chargers, and check out board games, all for free.
• The Union’s permanent artwork collection has been redistributed throughout the building. Also, student artworks recently acquired from the annual Student Purchase Awards shows are displayed outside Epicure Catering (first floor), in the Fireplace Lounge (second floor), next to the Summit Room (third floor), and along the staircase adjacent to the north elevator, between the second and third floors. Also, a David Garibaldi piece is being prepared for display next to the Union Administration office.
• Large wall vinyls with the Sac State logo have been placed in the Fireplace Lounge, Capital Room, Green and Gold Room, and adjacent to the Hornet’s Nest food court.

Food

University Enterprises Inc. (UEI) has some new dining ideas for members of the campus community.

• Baja Fresh Express opened this summer at the River Front Center, offering customizable options of traditional Mexican favorites.
• A “grab-and-go” eatery will open in early autumn at Folsom Hall. It will have selected offerings of Starbucks beverages, as well as pastries, prepared sandwiches, and salads.
• UEI is offering a Flex Plan for students who live off campus, as well as faculty and staff. For $225, the participant will receive $250 of Flex dollars that can be used at many campus dining establishments. Get more details at dining.csus.edu/meal-plans/flex-plan. – Craig Koscho