When students think of Health, Counselling and Disability Services (HCDS), they rightly think of the services we offer at the Student Centre (GPs, nurses, counsellors, pathology services etc) and the Disability Services team in the Union Basement Building.

What they might not realise is that OASIS, the community centre on campus, is also managed by the same people. I do work for OASIS in the same way as I do work for HCDS.

HCDS and OASIS have slightly different but complementary aims. HCDS is a more traditional clinical service for students seeking specific assistance with health and wellbeing related issues.

OASIS is a community centre that seeks to enhance the social, cultural, spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing of the student population.

Whilst HCDS offers individual access to health professionals, OASIS offers access to wellbeing and social programs, prayer rooms, cultural activities, volunteers, chaplains and simply spaces to chill out and meet new people. The idea is that if you are attending to your wellbeing more generally, your academic performance will improve.

To find out what OASIS is and what it does, visit their website – https://oasis.flinders.edu.au/

Whilst the OASIS website covers what OASIS is and does, the OASIS Facebook page is more like a live journal of what the OASIS team is doing and what we are thinking about. I’ve started using the OASIS Facebook page to share articles and resources that I use in my own life for wellbeing. I’m not the only one though. The OASIS team: Lisa, Hannah, Ali and I all post content on the Facebook page and you can find out a lot about the programs we offer and what is happening around the university from that page. As OASIS extends its reach to other campuses: Sturt, Tonsley, City, you can find out about it on that page.

So consider this blog post a formal invitation to connect with the OASIS team via their Facebook page. We’d love to connect with you online.

So if you have a Facebook account, please consider ‘liking’ us on the OASIS Facebook page.

If you have any questions about the difference between OASIS and HCDS, feel free to send them my way – gareth.furber@flinders.edu.au