A conference held by the Center for Community Involvement and Service Learning this week aims to promote health and wellness on campus.

Although it may seem like common sense that students should make an effort to stay healthy, students do not focus on health often enough.

If students and their close friends and family members are not affected by health issues, it could become easy for them to take health for granted. However, many health and wellness issues easily can affect college students either during college or later in life.

The conference plans to address health and wellness issues relevant to the student body. Topics include caffeine consumption, the effect of stress on appetite and food intake and creating a safe and healthy school community through bullying prevention and health education.

This conference provides a good opportunity for students to become aware of issues that often are ignored. Whether it is through attending this conference or through other actions, students should educate themselves about health and wellness issues.

Health problems can affect any event in anyone’s life at any time. For students, health and wellness likely will affect them throughout their lives in one way or another.

Therefore, students should educate themselves about health and wellness now rather than later.

If students become aware of their health and wellness now, they will be less likely to develop health problems in the future.

Special sections editor Lyndsi Hardin for the editorial board.