This fall, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students, faculty, staff and the community will have access to a new facility that targets all aspects of wellness.
The Health and Wellness Center opens Monday, August 18, after more than 10 years of planning. An addition to Marshfield Clinic Champions Hall, located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Isadore Street, it will include the Dawg Fitness area with exercise equipment and Group Ex exercise rooms as well as UWSP’s Student Health Service (SHS) and Counseling Center.
The new facility was first approved by student referendum in 2014, reaffirmed in 2022 and approved in the 2023-25 state capital budget. It is 100 percent student funded though segregated fees, said Greg Marsicek, director of Facilities Planning.
“The genesis of this project was to bring the important aspects of physical, social and emotional wellbeing together in one facility to meet the needs of our students,” he said. “It’s located at a focal point of campus where students can find it easily.”
This location makes the Counseling Center, formerly located on the third floor of former residence hall Delzell Hall, more accessible and easier to find, said Stacey Gerken, director. The center will share a reception area with SHS and will occupy eight offices for full-time and part-time therapists and one group meeting room. The space offers more light and a warm, welcoming aesthetic, Gerken said.
“When students have a comfortable, welcoming environment, it makes an impact,” she said. “It will help students feel more able to relax, share and connect with their therapist.”
SHS will double its exam rooms from five to ten, according to Dr. Helen Luce, medical director, as well as include space for an EMS hold room that has access to the outside for students who need medical transport. There are also two procedure rooms, a lab, pharmacy, staff offices, a nursing hub, a locker room, meeting room and a breakroom shared with counseling staff. The SHS was also previously located in Delzell Hall.
“We’re excited to move to a more central location, with a more professional clinic atmosphere,” said Luce. “We look forward to being able to provide services for more students.”
“Everything for fitness is now under one roof,” said Amy Fitschen, fitness program manager. All facilities for physical exercise, from the Aquatics Center, Skyward Fieldhouse and Strength Center to the new the new FitRec space being within Marshfield Clinic Champions Hall. “Our students will be able to move between these spaces easily and be more aware of what’s available.”
The fitness and recreation area will more than double from its former 6,000 square feet Allen Center location to 13,000 square feet for Dawg Fitness equipment and Group Ex in the new building. About 85% of the equipment is new and will be moved in and assembled by Direct Fitness Solutions.
The new space also includes professional staff offices for fitness, recreation, Club Sports, the associate director for UC programs, student managers and conference space.
“We are a student center, but we are also accessible for faculty, staff, community members and alumni,” said Michele Miller, associate director of UC programs. “We are looking to add an array of memberships for a variety of audiences in the future.”
“The new space is centrally located and addresses all seven dimensions of wellness in one place,” said Fitschen. “We are seeing more universities putting health, fitness and counselling spaces together as we see the ties between physical and mental health.”
FitRec, SHS and the Counseling Center are moving into the new space in the coming weeks, with SHS closed the week of August 11 to have an outside company move specialized medical equipment and medication.
The project was completed five months ahead of schedule, said Marsicek, allowing for a summer move rather than late December.
“Pointers are excited to explore the new opportunities the Health and Wellness Center will bring to campus,” he said.
