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A Healthier U

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GuideSafe

Download the Exposure Notification App

When regularly on campus, all students, faculty and staff are encouraged to use GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification, an app to facilitate self-reporting of COVID-19 exposure and automate anonymous alerts to individuals with previous proximity or close contact with a later positive COVID-19 person.

After downloading the app and enabling Bluetooth, phones exchange anonymous contact beacons via Bluetooth whenever another phone with the app is within six feet for more than 15 minutes. If you come in close contact with someone who later reports a COVID-19 positive test result, you are anonymously notified within a 14-day period of contact with the individual. Similarly, if you test positive, an anonymous notification will be sent to others with whom you have come in close contact.

Get the App. Download now.

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Mental Health

We are living in unprecedented times, and the added stresses of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic often can lead to depression, loneliness and other mental health issues. College students are not immune, especially as many are adjusting to being on their own for the first time, living in a new city or facing the challenges of keeping pace with elite academic programs while learning in new ways. There’s no place like Auburn, and the university and Auburn Family is persevering through the pandemic. Auburn University is here to assure students they are not alone, and this section of A Healthier U offers a number of helpful tips and resources to help all members of the Auburn Family thrive during their time on the Plains.

Self-help tips


Exercise regularly
Get good nutrition
Get enough sleep
Meditate to recalibrate
Enjoy art, theatre
Connect with nature
Talk to friends, family
Reduce alcohol intake
AU Involve Events

Exercise regularly

Exercise is crucial to a person’s physical and mental well-being, and experts recommend everyone includes exercise of some sort as part of their daily schedule. Luckily for Auburn students, the university features numerous ways for students to stay active and get the exercise their bodies need. The Auburn University Recreation and Wellness Center is open daily and offers a great place for students to participate in various types of exercise, from swimming and yoga to lifting weights, outdoor activities, cardio and group fitness classes that meet social distancing guidelines.

Organized by Campus Recreation, the 240,000-square-foot “Rec” also maintains a “Be Well” blog to help students stay active and up to speed on activities taking place in and around Auburn.

Get good nutrition

How we fuel our bodies is an important aspect of a person’s overall health, and practicing good eating habits can help keep everyone strong and nourished during these challenging times. Roughly 90 percent of Auburn’s normal campus dining options are open, and the Foy Hall dining area has implemented a number of safety precautions—including food lockers to facilitate contactless food exchange—in order to adhere to CDC guidelines and keep students well-fed and safe. Thanks to Auburn University Tiger Dining, there are plenty of high-quality food offerings and locations where students can get the fuel they need to excel and do so in a safe way.

Get enough sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to recharge and make sure we are ready for the next day. Experts suggest eight hours of sleep each night, and maintaining a healthy sleep schedule—especially for college students learning how to master time management—is paramount for staying both mentally and physically fit. Lack of sleep can lead to illness and magnify stress, so adhering to a consistent sleep regimen can do wonders for a person’s overall health.

Meditate to recalibrate

Not only are we fighting the rigors of a global pandemic, but Americans live attached to smartphones in an extremely fast-paced society that can be demanding and daunting. Therefore, it’s important to take time to decompress—each day or on a regular basis—and recalibrate. Studies have shown meditation has both mental and physical benefits to those who practice it with consistency. Students can benefit from meditation in several ways, and there are plenty of expert tips for ways to do so in an effective manner. Auburn students—two at a time while wearing masks—also may utilize the meditation and reflection room on the fourth floor of Ralph Brown Draughon Library during their busy day.

Enjoy art, theatre

It has been said that art “enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time,” and Auburn students who want to experience the power of art are lucky enough to have the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University just around the corner. The one-of-a-kind facility reopened on Aug. 11 to reduced capacity and offers an escape for those who enjoy art of all kinds.

The Auburn University Department of Theatre has adapted and amended its production plans due to the pandemic, offering theatre fans an alternative to enjoy the majesty of the art form. Via AU Theatre @ Home, the department will provide audiences with the opportunity to view the fall shows this season from the safety and comfort of their own home through recorded digital productions.

Connect with nature

They don’t call Auburn “The Loveliest Village on the Plains” for nothing, and there are numerous ways for students to get outside and enjoy its beauty while getting exercise at the same time. Whether it’s a leisurely social-distanced walk around campus, a trip to the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center off North College Street, the Donald E. Davis Arboretum off South College Street or a trek to Chewacla State Park, Auburn features a treasure trove of options for anyone looking to enjoy the outdoors. With fall around the corner, it’s a great time to be out and about around campus, and Campus Recreation’s Auburn Outdoors adventure-based education program also offers a host of other fun options as well.

Talk to friends, family

For a society forever attached to its phones and devices, we don’t always communicate as effectively or often as we should with friends and loved ones. Staying connected to family members who live outside Auburn, as well as with friends both on campus and afar, is important for one’s mental well-being. Whether it’s reconnecting, returning a long-awaited call or reaching out to someone you haven’t heard from in eons, staying active in others’ lives can be good for the soul.

Reduce alcohol intake

Alcohol is a depressant that can amplify problems and lead a person to dark places. Reducing and limiting alcoholic intake is widely considered by mental health professionals as a positive practice for everyone, especially those who are experiencing stress. Auburn’s Student Counseling & Psychological Services, as well as Health Promotion and Wellness Services, and can offer help to students who may need assistance fighting a substance abuse problem, and there is always a member of the Auburn Family available and ready to listen.

Get involved

Getting involved with a student organization is a great way to connect with others, learn new skills and have fun! With more than 550 student organizations, Student Involvement makes it easy to find a social outlet and discover organizations that meet your interests. Browse all student organizations or find free upcoming events on AUinvolve. Look for a variety of events, in both in-person and virtual formats, happening throughout the semester including free movies, open mic nights, painting workshops, leadership lunches and more. Give back to the community through virtual service opportunities, and be sure to follow @auinvolve on social media for more ways to connect.

Facts

Students who have been exposed to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 are alerted in one of three ways – through direct notification by the COVID-positive person, through contact tracing by a trained official, or through the GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification app.

As of June 1, 2021, most employees, except for Auburn University Summer Youth Programs staff, are no longer required to complete the Healthcheck daily screener app. Faculty teaching summer semester course may require students to display a “green passport” through the screener app to be allowed to attend classes in-person.

Auburn’s Medical Clinic maintains an adequate supply of COVID-19 tests, offers multiple testing options and remains well-equipped to provide testing services to the Auburn campus community.

Auburn strongly encourages all in the campus community to immediately begin the process of self-quarantine if they develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or known exposure to someone who has tested positive for the disease. This is crucial in our efforts to keep transmission rates down.

Resources

Tools for the Fight
Covid-19
Resource Center
Cares Act reporting information
Facilities Covid Portal
A Sound Mind
Alabama Dept. of
Public Health
Student Affairs COVID-19 information
Auburn Cares
A Healthier U
Commitment is Contagious
334.844.6000 | covidresourcecenter@auburn.edu
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