WLU campus services undergo name changes
Laurier’s Peer Help Line and BACCHUS are now known as Peer Connect and Healthy Lifestyles
Name changes have happened for the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union services Peer Help Line and BACCHUS.
Peer Help Line, a service that addresses mental health and student well being, has officially changed their name to ‘Peer Connect’, and BACCHUS — Boosting Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students — will be known as ‘Healthy Lifestyles’.
“We’re essentially revamping how we look at our campaign format so the way we get information across to the students,” said Kaipa Bharucha, vice-president of programming and services.
The Peer Connect committee, like Peer Help Line, is an anonymous phone service where students can call for questions and information on mental health.
Peer Connect, operating on both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses, is dedicated to providing resources and support to students, as well as campaigning for stress relief and body care.
They will also use the same phone line as Peer Help Line.
Healthy Lifestyles is focused on healthy practices and responsible decision making in regards to students’ health.
Healthy Lifestyles revamped themselves to focus on health as a whole, rather than on just safe drinking practices.
According to Bharucha, the revamped Peer Help Line will now focus on a number of different campaigns.
Bharucha explained volunteers of Peer Connect are not trained to deal with crisis situations, nor do they want volunteers to be put into risky situations where they cannot properly distribute correct information.
“Essentially we want to make sure that we’re supporting our line in the best way possible, so the Peer Connect line is information and referral based,” she said.
“We want to make sure we’re information and referral and we’re linking to groups in the community or on campus that [can] help with student needs for an ongoing basis.”
Bharucha believes this is also a new chance for students to engage with the programs and services available in a new light.
Possibly, students have never used the service before or even heard of it, and this can provide students with information.
Peer Connect is also focusing their attention on marketing to students. The committee believes they have the right knowledge and information to let students be successful in their time at Laurier.
“We want to make sure that we’re ensuring students get that right throughout all four years of their school and not necessarily only engaging with these programs later on in their career.”
Now, Peer Connect is finding ways to bring information to students in a way that is acceptable to them.
“Everyone has changing needs the way students process and understand information and resources changes every year,” said Bharucha.
“We’re just trying to find that practices that work to make sure that we’re delivering information in ways that is acceptable to students and doesn’t make them have to try and search and find it out themselves.”
