On Oct. 30, Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz signed the Okanagan Charter at a celebratory event running from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the upper level of the Oakland Center, making OU one of the first 50 universities in the country and sixth in the state of Michigan to commit to being a health-promoting institution.
The Okanagan Charter started in 2015 to challenge universities and colleges to create healthier campuses and healthier communities. It’s an international charter for health promotion that encourages embedding health into all aspects of campus culture and leads health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally. The Charter provides institutions with a common language, principles and framework to become health and well-being-promoting campuses.
Before the official signing of the Okanagan charter, Pescovitz made some opening remarks regarding OU’s initiatives and future goals with the new charter.
“I consider this one of the single most important things that we need to do as a university to achieve all the other goals that we have,” Pescovitz said. “We’re adopting the Okanagan Charter and that means that we are joining a global movement of health-promoting universities and we’re in the lead by doing this; we’re reaffirming our commitment to embed health into every aspect of campus life.”
Aside from Pescovitz’s official inauguration of the charter, the event, organized by OU’s Healthy Campus Network, included activities and resources for attendees to gain firsthand experience on how to reinforce wellness in every aspect of their lives. These varied across physical, social, mental, environmental and financial wellness.
“This is about social engagement, connection, belonging and bringing people together,” Becky Lewis, associate director for programs and administration for university recreation and well-being, said. “We want people to know that there are different kinds of tools that they can use in their daily life to manage their stress, anxiety and all of the other things going on in everyone’s lives.”
The event was open to students, faculty and staff, emphasizing that physical and mental well-being extends to everyone at OU. It highlighted that no matter who you are or what role you play, your health matters.
“When you are able to put a community behind an initiative, you get folks to show up and I think being able to create that type of community committed to helpfulness with faculty and students is a great way to just connect people,” Marcus Johnson, Oakland University Student Congress president, said. “I know at times students and faculty may be at odds, but I think this is a great way to sort of bridge some of those gaps, to say we may have our differences, but we’re all human at the same time with the same struggles.”
As the fall semester comes to a close, the OU community will begin to feel the stress that often accompanies final exams and deadlines. During this busy time, it’s easy to overlook physical and mental well-being. That’s why these events are essential to remind everyone to prioritize their health and self-care above all else.
“It’s a big thing for college students since winter is coming and a lot of people feel isolated and seasonal depression comes back,” Marieme Sama said. “It’s important to have balance, boundaries, know when to stop and what you can’t take.”
This charter will serve as a framework for promoting mental health by fostering a culture that prioritizes well-being, reduces stigma and ensures proactive, accessible support for both students and staff.
“I’m excited to sign it and adopt it because that means we’re going to continue to work on the things that we haven’t been able to check the boxes on yet,” Lewis said. “Getting health and well-being policies and best practices into play here on campus and working with different employee groups and students. It really is going to help us continue to shape what campus looks like related to health and well-being.”
