Raul’s Report: Stay Well

Raul Cardenas, Ph.D.
CU Denver Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health

If you haven’t heard the news, I want you to know that flu season isn’t over yet. And, it’s not too late to get a flu shot to try and avoid getting sick.

I checked with the Health Center at Auraria, and they still have the vaccine available. It’s free to all students, staff, and faculty. Just stop by the Health Center at Auraria Immunizations Office in Plaza Building #149 before the supply runs out.

If you do come down with the flu, or some other severe illness, stay home! I highly encourage you to take care of yourself and the rest of us by giving yourself time to recover. That’ll help you get better faster and help stop the spread of germs around campus.

Following the example of my son, who’s a student at Colorado State University (CSU) in Ft. Collins, I tried staying home last year when I got sick, and it worked! I’m convinced that taking a short timeout helped me get back to being my productive self more quickly. Good for me. Good for my colleagues.

Taking care of ourselves, staying well physically, mentally, and emotionally, should always be a priority. What I’ve found is that our new Lola & Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center has made it quite a bit easier to do that.

If you stop by the center early in the morning, you’ve probably seen me there. A renewed focus on my physical health brings me to the center at 6:15 a.m. four days a week for group fitness, group weight training, cycling classes, or individual workouts. If you’re an early bird, come up and say, “Hi!”

The benefit for me has been overall better health. I’ve dropped a few pounds and have more endurance, stamina, and energy. With the cutting-edge equipment and expert staff right here on campus, it’s hard to come up with an excuse to not take advantage of all the resources available there.

I think the next step for me will be stepping out of the center, and maybe my comfort zone, to join in on one of our Outdoor Adventure trips. If you haven’t explored all the experiences available, it’s kind of mindboggling. Just go the Wellness & Recreation Services website and choose the Adventure tab. Day hikes, snowshoeing trips, overnight camping, stand-up paddle boarding, even a spring break trip. All at what look like very reasonable fees to me.

Space is limited, so be sure to browse through all the offerings and register for the experiences you’d like to try. I haven’t signed up for mine yet, but I’m pretty sure you won’t see me out on a paddle board

In the midst of our busy schedules, we need to remember that we matter and to schedule time for our wellbeing. That means focusing on our wellness, giving ourselves time to recover when we’re sick, and maybe even heading out on an adventure or two. Take time to breathe. You’ll be glad you did.

Belong. Be well. Success is our goal.

Raul Cardenas, Ph.D.

CU Denver Vice Chancellor for Student Development

Vice Chancellor for Student Development Raul Cardenas, Ph.D., is devoted to student success, enjoys sharing a good laugh, loves commencement, and leads a staff committed to providing the best student experience possible. Raul invites students to schedule a conversation with him. Email bonnie.hixson@ucdenver.edu for an appointment.