Wellness Days

Wellness Days are built into the academic calendar and occur once per term – 4 total Wellness Days per academic year. For the 2025-2026 academic year the Wellness Days are September 19th (A-term), November 4th (B-term), February 13th (C-term), and March 30th (D-term).

We understand that college and life are stressful and can be draining. It can be hard to give ourselves a break and not feel like we are falling behind or should be doing something “more productive” instead of relaxing. Wellness Days help everyone in the WPI community take that break to focus on taking care of ourselves and connecting with each other. As the saying goes, “you can’t pour from an empty cup” – Wellness Days help you refill your cup.

Do whatever wellness looks like for you! There are a bunch of activities and events happening all over campus for you to partake in. If you’d rather not be on campus, we offer some virtual and asynchronous events too. You can also choose to avoid anything WPI and hang out in your room or go out with friends. 

Events can vary from Wellness Day to Wellness Day, but some of the staples include dog therapy, free food, crafting, yoga, meditation, Reiki, and sound bathing. Other events might include movie nights, dance classes, chair massages, food trucks, games, and more. 

Politely remind your professor that it is a Wellness Day and there shouldn’t be any classes, meetings, non-critical lab work, or assignment due dates. 

All departments, clubs, and on campus organizations interested in hosting an event on Wellness Day should complete our Wellness Day Request Form, this includes departments or clubs that are hosting events in their own spaces. If you have external guests coming to campus, the form is still required to be completed. No exceptions. 

All event spaces controlled by the CWB and Events Departments are blacked out on Wellness Days so all groups looking to book space must submit the Wellness Day Request Form and receive CWB approval, including groups looking to use a space for non-Wellness Day activities (there is an option in the form to select if your activity is not part of Wellness Day). Please note, the CWB reserves the right to not approve any request that contradicts with the intent of Wellness Day (e.g., meetings) as determined by CWB staff, or is received less than 1 week prior to the Wellness Day.

Any event seen to be taking place on campus on a Wellness Day without the prior approval of the CWB and Events Offices will be asked to immediately relocate to somewhere off campus or to reschedule to another day.

The form will ask for the following information: 

• Contact Person’s name, email, and phone number
• Department/Organization(s) hosting the event
• Workday Cost Center or other applicable code(s) for any incurred costs
• Event Information including
  • Event name
  • Start and end times (and flexibility of those times)
  • A brief description of the event
  • Event location – if you're not sure of what location to use, you can describe what you want, and we will find a location for you
  • Any other relevant info like setup needs, tables/chairs, etc.
  • Will you have food/beverage at the event?
  • Do you have any Audio/Visual needs with your event?

You will receive at least three (3) emails throughout the approval process once the form has been submitted. 

1. Email from the Center for Well-Being confirming the form has been received, your event has been approved by the CWB and has been submitted to the Events Department for location approval. This email DOES NOT guarantee your event is confirmed!
2. Email from the Center for Well-Being confirming your event/program. This email will include your event name, location, time, and any other important information you need to know.
   1. If anything about your event was changed from what you requested, you will be notified within this email
   2. Do not begin promoting your event until AFTER you receive this email
3. Email from the Center for Well-Being confirming participation in Wellness Day. This email will be sent a day or two prior to the Wellness Day and will be sent to all clubs, departments, and organizations participating in Wellness Day.

No. Your department, club, or organization will be solely responsible for all costs associated with your event. This includes, but is not limited to, supplies, table/chair rentals, catering, technology equipment of any kind, services provided to you from an external person(s), and any costs charged to you by a WPI department. 

If you are co-sponsoring an event with the CWB, shared responsibilities on cost(s) will be discussed privately between the CWB team and your group.

If you wish to have your event info included on the CWB’s printed promotional material (printed flyers, sandwich board signs, handouts, etc.) you must submit your event at least 2 weeks prior to the corresponding Wellness Day.

All approved Wellness Day events, including those submitted after the 2-week mark, will be added to the CWB website and the WPI calendar event. PLEASE DO NOT create your own Drupal event for your Wellness Day event as this will create duplicates and your event will then not be listed under the Wellness Day parent event. 

If you would like any advertising for your event beyond what is listed above, you will need to create the promotional material yourself. All promotional material must follow WPI Marketing Guidelines and should not be disseminated until you have received confirmation of your event from the CWB (the second email).

Any promotional material that explicitly says “Wellness Day” should only be associated with events and programs that have been approved by the Center for Well-Being. All events submitted and approved to be held on Wellness Day should advertise the event as a Wellness Day program.

If you create Instagram posts for your Wellness Day event, you can tag the Center for Well-Being (@wpi_cwb) and we will share your post on our story.

 If you want your promotional materials advertised in the CWB please send a copy of the flyer and/or screen images to cwb@wpi.edu.