Kelley School of Business will host a series of wellness events in Hodge Hall and Prebys Career Center this upcoming week as part of “Balance Week,” an initiative aimed at providing undergraduate business students the opportunity to practice mental and physical health skills during final exams. Balance Week, which takes place from Dec. 5- 8, is a collaboration between the student organization Balance at Kelley and the student-led Mental Health Task Force, hosted under the Kelley Office of Student Support.
According to Keyandra Whiteside, assistant director of the Kelley Office of Student Support, Balance Week launched in 2017. Originally, the initiative was led solely by Balance at Kelley with the help of faculty advisor Nichole Alspaugh Williams, along with Josh Perry and Laurie Colgazier. The Kelley Office of Student Support took over Balance Week in 2021.
Whiteside said Balance Week is held during the week before finals exams because students tend to experience high levels of stress during this point in the semester.
“Students are trying to get their grades up, turn in their last assignments and the holidays are just around the corner,” Whiteside said. “Balance Week allows students to take a break but also realize the success they have achieved throughout the entire semester and to reward themselves.”
This semester’s Balance Week includes events such as study tables, wellness crafts, plant care classes, a mobile rage room and sessions with service dogs from the Indiana Canine Assistant Network. Students can also receive free breakfast burritos and wellness kits with fuzzy socks, hand sanitizer, Mental Health Task Force stickers and hot chocolate.
Whiteside said initiatives like Balance Week emphasize the importance of students’ mental and physical wellness in both academic and professional environments.
“Balance Week normalizes that stress is part of their journey when it comes to being high achievers, wanting to be the best, and being competitive for whatever internships or careers they’re going after,” Whiteside said. “It allows students to take a step back to realize ‘If I’m not well, I can’t be my best.’”
IU junior Lauren Piera, president of Balance at Kelley and member of the Mental Health Task Force, said the most important focus of both organizations is helping students feel less alone during their time in the business school.
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“That's what's really important about having these initiatives –- letting students know they’re not alone and that they are heard,” Piera said. “It’s important to not just normalize struggling, but to allow people to know that it’s okay to struggle.”
Piera said coursework within the school of business can be extremely rigorous, something that she believes often goes unacknowledged by other students. In addition to judgment from students outside of the school of business, she said competition among peers can dissuade students from getting help.
“Because our culture in the Kelley School is very hyper competitive, a lot of people are hesitant to bring up that they’re struggling until it gets to a bad point where their daily life is really inhibited,” Piera said. “A lot of people try to minimize how they’re struggling.”
Like Whiteside, Piera believes a balance between work and wellness is important for students to keep in mind during their academic careers.
“Obviously grades are really important when you’re an undergrad and studying is very important especially in the Kelley School,” Piera said. “But it is also important to take care of yourself first and foremost. Obviously, your grades are important, but your health is more important.”
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IU freshman Elena Yan, who is studying management, said many students have experienced high stress levels during the last two weeks leading up to final exams.
“I just feel like a lot of students put their academics before their mental health during finals,” Yan said. “People will mostly say that they’re stressed.”
Additionally, Yan thinks events like Balance Week are a good idea to help students, but that there should be more promotion surrounding the events in future semesters.
The next Balance Week will be during the week before spring semester final exams from Apr. 24- 28, 2023.
CLARIFICATION: Due to miscommunication during the reporting process, previous version of this article incorrectly stated the year Balance Week started.
