Ripon College Days

Media Credit: Photo by Nicole Klaas Self help. Each month RC-HAWK sponsors an informational bulletin board near the Pub. While this month the group is giving away stress kits, last month it recognized World Kindness Month. [Click to enlarge]

To commemorate World Kindness Month, Ripon College students spent the month of November surprising each other with messages of benevolence.

Throughout the month, RC-HAWK, the Ripon College Health and Wellness Koalition sponsored a bulletin board in Memorial Union from which 700 slips of brightly colored paper carrying phrases including, "You're a good friend!" and "Thanks...I owe you one!" were sent through campus mail among students, faculty and staff.

"When we started out we thought if we could get 100 messages it would be a success," says Kathy Welch-Krause, college nurse and HAWK leader. "We were snowballed with it and very pleasantly surprised."

Though Welch-Krause wishes faculty and staff would have participated a little bit more, she is pleased that many students took this opportunity to thank their peers, professors and favorite staff members.

Junior Nasif Rogers received eight kind messages in his mailbox and sent over 12 throughout the month.

"It's good to receive mail that's not a bill or business related, and being that it's an act of kindness, someone taking time out of their day to send something to you, makes you feel even more special."

Rogers goes on to say he enjoyed sending messages to his friends because he knew it would make them smile on days or weeks which proved stressful.

According to information from The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website, numerous scientific studies have shown that acts of kindness actually result in significant physical and mental health benefits.

For example, the Foundation states a rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act is often referred to as a "helper's high," involving physical sensations and the release of the body's natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.

Stress-related health issues also improve after such a performance, as the action decreases feelings of hostility and isolation. A decreased stress level may allow constriction in the lungs to relax, which prevents some from suffering asthma attacks.

These benefits can be experienced hours and days after the act of kindness is performed whenever it is remembered.

"We don't show kindness or appreciation for each other enough," says Rogers. "If we did, the world could actually be a lot better."

RC-HAWK is currently composed of Welch-Krause and College Counselor Cyndi Viertel. Each month they create a new bulletin board display spurred by ideas from the National Heath Institute, including topics such as dating violence and eating disorders, for which they make packets and share with Residence Life.

Tri-Dorms and Johnson Hall Director Jessica Joanis encourages the idea of RA's placing these bulletin boards in Residence Halls.

"I think it is another way of educating [students]," she says, "They're learning something they might not know they wanted to know, but it's presented in a way that's more interesting than an essay or lecture."

In a similar effort, students turning 21 this year have received a birthday card from RC-HAWK that includes a laminated insert offering alternatives to binge drinking through campus mail. The card is accompanied by an oversized cookie.

Upcoming RC-HAWK sponsored events include a table in Great Hall during the hours used by students to study for finals that will be dubbed "de-stress fest." The table will display quiet games such as cribbage and tic tac toe and physical stress relievers such as silly putty.

For more information on how to get involved with RC-HAWK, contact Kathy Welch-Krause at welchk@ripon.edu, or Cyndi Viertel at viertelc@ripon.edu

Article Tools