The Rattler Wellness program will celebrate its first anniversary Tuesday with a free party for students inside the recreation center from 6-8 p.m.
Florida A&Ms Student Health Services aims to teach students how to maintain healthy lifestyles with its Rattler Wellness program.
We focus on physical, emotional, intellectual, environmental, social and spiritual well-being, said Tanya Tatum, director of Student Health Services. Our goal is to help students take a greater role in maintaining their overall health and wellness.
Brittany Somerville, a junior public relations student from Atlanta, is helping to plan the event. She said the celebration will include a variety of activities.
We plan to have entertainment, a DJ, food, health and wellness vendors, a bounce house, prizes and more, Somerville said.
Tatum said the party will celebrate the programs progress and will also be an opportunity to educate the community about what it has to offer.
Rattler Wellness provides various programs for the campus community, such as a sexual and domestic violence group, ladies opposed to unsafe sex and a male health empowerment groups, among others. Rattler Wellness also offers services such as massage therapy, life coaching and group exercise classes.
Twice a month, SPEAK! ,the sexual and domestic violence group, hosts workshops to inform students, faculty and staff about methods to prevent sexual and domestic violence and what steps to take in the aftermath of violence. Attendees get the opportunity to hear from advocates, professionals and survivors about their personal experiences with sexual and domestic violence.
Erica Eubanks, founder and student educator of SPEAK! and senior psychology student from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said the organization was needed because of a lack of attention toward sexual and domestic violence.
We saw that no one was talking about sexual and domestic violence except for us (Student Health Services and Sunshine Manor), and that’s frightening that such violence is going on, she said. Students don’t know what to do or where to go if they or their friends need assistance.
Eubanks said victims or friends of victims should contact the Tallahassee Police Department, Student Health Services, Sunshine Manor or other university authorities for assistance.
She said those who wish to speak with a peer educator to find out more about getting help as a survivor of an attack can email famuspeak@gmail.com, adding that all emails are confidential and student names will never be released.
More information on the anniversary party and Rattler Wellness is available at www.rattlerwellness.com or by emailing rattlerwellness@gmail.com.