Next week, Wichita State students will have an opportunity to learn about safety planning and healthy living at no additional cost to them.

As a part of Welcomefest, WSU’s Student Health Services (SHS) will host a table on the first floor of the Rhatigan Student Center focused on campus safety, with resources available to students.

Hosted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, students will have pamphlets, campus safety officials and health staff available to answer their safety and health questions.

“We basically wanted to put the information [on safety] out there — we are going to be focusing on Safe Ride and safety planning,” said Camille Childers, Student Health Services director. “ It is part of Welcomefest — an awareness of campus resources and campus safety.”

In September, word of a reported rape in Shocker Hall sparked conversation on campus safety.

In November, news of a crime involving the sexual assault and burning of a 36-year-old woman in Fairmount Park — which is located a block south of campus — raised awareness both on and off campus. Davis later died from her injuries sustained during the attack.

Conversations about campus safety and awareness has been heightened as a result of these incidents, and SHS hopes to build off of that conversation.

“Not all assault is sexual assault,” Childers said. “It could be stalking, it could be emotional abuse, it could be that they are having a safe relationship. It could also be with mental health issues.”

Camille said services offered by SHS will also be discussed at the Shocker Safety table, such as free or reduced-cost health screenings and vaccines.

Student Health also works with other on-campus organizations to provide health services to the WSU community — and annually serves almost an equivalent number of students as who are enrolled at WSU.

“We serve around 12,000 to 14,000 students on average,” Childers said. “We do compliance issues with tuberculosis, we do compliance on meningitis issues with housing, mental health, injuries, physicals.”

As the calendar year goes on, SHS plans on hosting more events to provide opportunities for student health, such as free sexually-transmitted infection (STI) screening and free flu vaccination for students, Childers said.

“We did the free flu shot campaign and we are just wrapping that up,” Childers said. “We ordered 1,500 doses of influenza vaccine and we have less than 50 left. It was free to students and we are planning on continuing that.”

At the tabling event on Thursday, Student Health will have nursing officials available to answer students’ questions, and students will have access to safety materials from other organizations, such as university police, Shocker Safe Ride and the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center.

Student Health will also have free alert whistles for students as long as supplies last.

For more information about the event or health services offered, contact SHS at 978-3620 or visit wichita.edu/studenthealth.