Interview With Health and Wellness Chair Alyssa Vanveldhuisen

V: What inspired you to run for health and wellness chair.

A: I never pictured myself in student government, I was bouncing around clubs trying to find my place. I finally came to a meeting, and I realized that this was a whole different level than high school government.

I want to be an optometrist, I never agreed with allopathic medicine where you push medication. So I wanted to change that allopathic culture at Rutgers, implement a more holistic approach. Then I decided to run for Health and Wellness chair and I got it!

K: What are the mental health topics that are under-addressed as a whole?

A: I think mental health related to financial wellness is something that has surfaced recently that deserves more attention. We did not really focus on financial wellness prior to the pandemic. A lot of stress stems from these 40 hour work weeks, where people have declining grades and start to burn out.

K: What is the most important thing you feel you learned as a leader in RUSA?

A: I think re-learning how to work with people online was important. Communication and delegation are key, you really have to trust that everyone is on top of their tasks.

V: What piece of legislation/which initiative are you most proud of?

A: I am very proud of the lighting the way act where we implemented SAD lamps in Livi to combat seasonal affective disorder. We could not be on campus to work with facilities people so we had to FaceTime them and instruct them. There are a lot of pieces of legislation which haven't gone through the assembly yet but I think we have set them up well so the next chair can really knock it out of the park.

M: How common do think mental illness is in young people now, do you think that over diagnosis or medication present issues on that front?

A: I think all these issues existed 40, 50 years, ago and mental health stigmas are pervasive even now. I'll be totally candid, these issues always existed and the pandemic put a magnifying glass on these problems. There are many more studies on mental health deficits, I think over-diagnosis and medication is not the issue, I think these crises are just beginning to be addressed more.

M: What role does social media have in Mental Health?

A: It's a double edged sword, you see all these images that can promote unrealistic lifestyles, but at the same time you have a lot of communities for support. Financial struggles, suicide, social issues, there's a space to discuss all these things. I take a break every once and a while from social media.

V: Totally agree about the double edged sword point. I was watching an interview with kids on the street, and one kid said "Well social media is like a knife" and they asked him why and he said "well you could cut a cake with it or stab someone with it" and that goes back to the whole using social media for good/evil.

A: Yes! And that makes me wonder how I'll frame social media with my kids in the future. I remember back in high school I wasn't allowed to have a Facebook, now the age of social media is getting younger and younger and I wonder if you keep your child from these platforms are you depriving them of fitting in.

M: Also I know TikTok has a feature that tells you to take a break which is definitely healthy.

V: I have encountered that feature many times.

M: One more question, any general tips on stress management for students?

A: I was just writing a paper about this, finding a trusted adult or confidant is so important. Talking out these issues and having trust in a professor or professional can really be key for your wellbeing.