By Paul Lopez

Managing Editor Digital

Summer vacation is officially over and the fall semester is upon us. Whether you’re new to the campus or a returning student, one thing is for sure, we are all experiencing mixed feelings.
  The mixed feelings range from excitement to nervousness, or a mixture of both. Finding a parking spot or finding out that your professor doesn’t require you to buy that hundred dollar textbook can generate feelings of excitement.    

  Trying to figure out what to wear on the first day of classes or walking into the wrong class as 20 random faces give you that gripping blank stare, can generate feelings of nervousness.
  These few examples are normal and we all have experienced them sometime within our college careers.
  As we progress further into the semester we can’t predict what life will throw at us. Our stress levels will fluctuate as due dates for assignments draw closer.     

  Not to mention stress factors outside of school. Which leaves us vulnerable to getting sick or even feelings of anxiety. Sometimes we have the strength to cope, other times we don’t.
  The Student Health Center located right across from the Icardo Center, is readily available to help.

  In the Student Health Center,   you will find the Counseling Center, Student Health Center, and a pharmacy.

  Lauren Ash, a health educator said, “We are a full functioning medical facility. We have two physicians that see patients, we have a nursing staff, we have our own pharmacy, laboratory, and x-ray.”
  Ash also mentioned a breastfeeding room for student mothers that are looking for comfort and privacy.

  For those that are not familiar  with the term counseling or counselor this is completely different from an advisor. 

  An advisor helps you schedule and organize your classes, whereas a counselor is somebody who you can speak to completely confidential and it is included within your student fees. 

  Trinity Brown, administrative support coordinator for the Counseling Center, explained the various services available to a student.

  “Students could come in for wide range of things, whether its: test anxiety, stress, relationship problems, eating, time management, sleeping, said Brown. “We do have some more severe cases, rather it is: depression or suicidal thoughts, or it can just possibly be their first time transitioning here and being a first-time student.”

  Students who are interested in scheduling an appointment with a licensed counselor are advised to schedule an appointment in advance as the fall semester is one of their busiest semesters.

  Student Health Services and  The Counseling Center also put together several outreach and workshop programs to engage with students throughout the semester.
   The stress and anxiety toolbox workshop is one of one of their popular workshops that is designed to help students develop coping skills and it is hosted by the Counseling Center. 

  “Since we are going smokefree, we are also offering cessation support services for anybody wanting to quit smoking or tobacco,” explains Ash.
  Other informational outreach programs include sexual responsibility, alcohol responsibility, health and nutrition. 

  These programs are held throughout the semester at a variety of locations on campus. 
  The Student Health Services is also offering athletic training services this semester. If life ever gets to extreme levels of loneliness and hopelessness, the Counseling Center is here to help.
  “If someone is on campus or is going through a crisis or just been sexual assaulted or anything like that or having really severe suicidal thoughts. They can come right over, we try to get them in as soon as possible, like within the next hour or within the next available appointment,” said Brown. 

  For more information on the services offered at the Student Health Center or to schedule an appointment you can call (661) 654-2394. Walk-ins are also welcomed. The Student Health Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m to 5 p.m, across from the Icardo Center, just north of parking lot E.