Students should feel comfortable on the RPTU campus

“There's nothing like this at other universities,” is what students often say when they talk about RPTU's award-winning student health management program - also known as ‘CampusPlus’: a wide range of low-threshold offers designed to strengthen the biological, psychological and social health of students. From 25 to 29 November, for example, the “Mental Health Awareness Week” raises awareness of the topic of mental health, which often receives too little attention at universities.

Work out on a fitness trail between two lectures. Going for a ride on a mountain bike after a visit to the canteen. Or relax in a hammock a few meters from the lecture hall and snack on the university's own fruit bushes: Sounds too good to be true? Not at RPTU! The student health management team, SGM for short, offers exactly this and many other activities to help students stay mentally and physically fit throughout their everyday university life. 
SGM is also known as CampusPlus, which is part of the Center for Sport, Health and Wellbeing (ZSGW) alongside Unisport and the university's own fitness studio Unifit. “Since 2015, we have been developing measures and offers to support students in leading a healthy lifestyle on campus and to raise awareness of health promotion and prevention issues in general. The focus is on biological, psychological and social health,” says Diana Neben, SGM project coordinator for the Kaiserslautern site, explaining the aims and background of CampusPlus - and adds: ”Students should feel comfortable on the RPTU campus.”
For example, several table tennis tables and table football tables have been set up on the RPTU campus, where students can play around the clock. “Many of the measures are low-threshold,” emphasizes Neben - meaning that all students can easily take part without much effort. The events organized by CampusPlus, such as the Campus Cinema or the OpenStage, an open stage, can contribute to social health - and offer students social interaction and variety. Diana Neben: “If you don't fancy parties with lots of alcohol, you can meet up with friends, relax and maybe even meet new people.” Incidentally, CampusPlus is supported and advised by Techniker Krankenkasse.
First aid for mental health
Diana Neben has a Master's degree in Public Health and has been at the university in Kaiserslautern since 2021. Prior to this, she had already worked on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of students in her Master's thesis at Bielefeld University. “I came to RPTU to further establish and integrate the topic of mental health as part of the SGM.” Together with RPTU's occupational health management team, she brought the Mental Health First Aid program to Kaiserslautern. Interested members of the student councils are trained and sensitized so that they can recognize when their fellow students are not feeling well mentally. Diana Neben: “It's about recognizing mental problems, approaching others without inhibitions, addressing them in a targeted manner, arranging professional help, standing by them until they receive professional help and accompanying them.”
Health survey regularly determines the current situation
Many of the services developed by CampusPlus are based on a comprehensive health survey that is carried out every three years at RPTU - in cooperation with the FU Berlin. The results are summarized in the so-called University Health Report. Around 1,000 students have taken part so far. In addition to psychological parameters, health areas such as physical activity or the consumption of addictive substances are also recorded. In the written surveys in 2021, for example, more participants stated that they suffer from high levels of stress or exhaustion compared to 2018. The 2021 report also documents an increase in complaints that can be attributed to depressive symptoms or symptoms of an anxiety disorder. Findings that were previously unknown to this extent. And which, according to Diana Neben, may have been neglected at other universities - but which are taken very seriously at RPTU, partly due to the surveys. Diana Neben: “The results of the health survey conducted in 2024 are currently being evaluated.”

Students contribute their own ideas
Student health management is based on a participatory approach, says Diana Neben, outlining the concrete development of ideas: “We get feedback from students.” Twice a year, for example, all student councils at RPTU are invited - and problems and new ideas relating to health management are discussed together. Students are also involved in the CampusPlus team itself. They develop concepts and implement them with the support of full-time staff. This approach is called peer-to-peer: “We involve the student employees in everything. And we regularly discuss the project plan.”
One of the student employees is Ida Paulssen, a teacher trainee for biology and health. At CampusPlus, she works in both the health and social media teams: “As a student team, we gather various ideas in meetings and then coordinate them with the full-time staff.” The advantage, she says, is that the student team may have a different perspective on many things: “We are still students. For example, we have an idea for a topic that can be implemented via social media. And that's how we can get involved.”
Computer Science Master's student Rouven Raschke is responsible for the “Campus Break” as a member of the CampusPlus team. His area of responsibility is also very interactive and varied: “From Monday to Friday, for example, we set up games in front of the canteen every day and lend out badminton rackets or mountain bikes.” He sees the fact that students can get involved in CampusPlus as a big plus point: “We are in contact with other students, with our circle of friends, with people who come by regularly and so we get to know a lot and can invite them to the activities. Or point out new offers.”
Student health management receives multiple awards
Both Ida Paussen and Rouven Raschke emphasized that student health management at RPTU is something very special: “Compared to other universities, it's very broad-based. Friends of mine who study at other universities don't know this,” says Ida Paulssen. Rouven Raschke agrees: “There's nothing like the campus break anywhere else. It's also good that the offers are so low-threshold.” In fact, the SGM is known far beyond the RPTU - and has even received several awards, such as the Corporate Health Award in 2023, one of the most important awards in Germany in the field of occupational health management. 
“We are also strong in the area of health communication and have our own designer and marketing experts. We are also proud of this. Other universities don't have that either,” adds Diana Neben. Many things are communicated with an appealing layout - one example is information on the topic of “digital detox”. Knowledge about excessive smartphone use is presented in a visually appealing way. 

“Mental Health Awareness Week” in November
In November 2024, CampusPlus is organizing the “Mental Health Awareness Week”.    A week of action that takes place at both RPTU campuses, in Kaiserslautern and Landau. In addition to various online and in-person activities such as lectures, workshops and an information market, there will also be a social media campaign to draw attention to the topic of mental health.
And how will student health management develop over the next few years? “The topic of mental health awareness will certainly continue to play a central role,” says Diana Neben. The CampusPlus team is currently discussing which other topics they will also address. “The whole project is also so successful because the university management is behind it,” says Diana Neben. RPTU students will therefore be able to rely on their biological, psychological and social health being taken very seriously in the future too.

More Information: 

ZSGW-CampusPlus