USU's CARE Office: Providing Connection for Students

There is no denying the challenges to mental health resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study of young adults found that 65% of those surveyed reported increased feelings of loneliness. This trend has also affected Aggies, with 72% of students surveyed indicating that engaging with other students had been a challenge for them. When asked about factors impacting their satisfaction at USU, social isolation was identified by 12% of students, making it the second most common response.

Lexi Sherwood, a student in the Utah State University Master of Social Work Graduate Program, wanted to do something to help, adding to the growing list of efforts by the University to support students navigating life in a pandemic.

Sherwood, who is completing a social work practicum at the Utah State University CARE (Connect Assist Refer Empower) office, has been spearheading an initiative to provide connection for those students currently in isolation due to COVID-19.

Sherwood's primary duties in the CARE office include supporting students managing concerns related to social, health, academic, and mental well-being and helping to connect them with other supportive resources. She, with support from Morgan Walton, a CARE Manager, developed a zoom group, Zoom Games with the USU CARE Office, which was initially launched in Fall 2020.

“It's meant to be a fun group where we get to know each other, have some social connection, talk briefly about coping skills, and play games,” Sherwood said in an e-mail.

The CARE office hosted the group 22 times in the fall semester, populated with students who are currently quarantining or medically isolating as well as students experiencing social isolation as an effect of the pandemic. After a brief hiatus, the Zoom Games group returned Spring 2021.