Penn State released programming details for its first spring semester “wellness day,” which is set for Tuesday, February 9. This month’s events will focus on financial and occupational wellness.

Following the decision to eliminate spring break due to concerns about students traveling and potentially spreading COVID-19, wellness days were put in place as non-instructional days off for students and faculty to support their mental health and well-being.

While students have the option to do whatever they want on Tuesday, they can also choose to participate in live virtual events, recorded content, and self-paced options that are provided by the university.

Dan Murphy, programming committee co-lead and director for Student Orientation and Transition Programs, said financial and occupational wellness reflects much of the stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“You can’t take in any news these days without a discussion of stimulus, the economy, jobs, and the recession,” Murphy said. “Financial health is a source of great stress for so many. We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight resources, programs, and services that can help us enhance our economic and professional lives to flourish.”

Along with social and emotional wellness, programming will introduce participants to financial literacy. Career and professional development resources available to participants will include:

• “The Dreaded Search: Top 10 Tips and an Action Plan” – Learn the steps to take toward securing your dream job or internship, as well as the three biggest mistakes and top 10 tips for success — Sponsored by Penn State Career Services

• “Obtaining Work/Life Balance” — Learn about the pitfalls and success strategies for a healthy balance between work and life — Sponsored by Penn State Career Services

• “MoneyCounts: A Financial Literacy Series – Credit Cards” — Learn smart credit card management that leads to financial security — Sponsored by the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center

Additionally, Penn Staters can submit activities, events, programs, and resources that support the financial and occupational wellness theme by emailing [email protected]. The resources will be posted here and are available to students for the remainder of the semester.

The additional spring semester wellness days will focus on the following themes:

• Thursday, March 11 — Intellectual and Spiritual Wellness
• Wednesday, April 7 — Physical and Environmental Wellness

More information about wellness days, including programming and FAQs, can be found here. The site will continue to be updated as program plans are finalized.