Did you know?
Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, declared loneliness a major health crisis, urging Americans to strengthen connections and community with one another*.
‘Cats Connect can help! ‘Cats Connect is designed to bring K-Staters together and strengthen the community through meaningful conversations. It’s an opportunity to meet and connect with others while building a sense of belonging at K-State. Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to participate in-person or on Zoom.
Sign up for a ‘Cats Connect group beginning the week of Feb. 10, to build and strengthen your connections!
As a Health Promoting University, K-State is dedicated to supporting the holistic health and well-being of each student, faculty, and staff member. One aspect of well-being includes social health, which is the ability to form meaningful relationships that provide support, guidance and encouragement.
‘Cats Connect has worked to improve mental health and social well-being by connecting more than 1,000 K-Staters! Building relationships can help protect against stress, anxiety and depression. Positive relationships also increase student satisfaction and retention, as well as faculty/staff engagement.
What you’ll do
Groups of 4–7 Wildcats meet once a week for an hour over five weeks, forming friendships beyond their usual social circles. During each meeting, everyone will have the opportunity to respond to a series of fun and thought-provoking questions and engage in a small connection project.
Groups will be built based on availability. Participants can select in-person (on the Manhattan campus) or virtual meetings (via Zoom). There are two spring 2025 sessions to choose from:
- Session 1: Meets weekly beginning the week of Feb. 10, through the week of March 10.
- Session 2: Meets weekly beginning the week of March 31, through the week of April 28.
Register for Session 1 by Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Group session dates and times
If you are not available during any of these sessions, there is a space on the registration form to submit your availability.
Undergraduate Students
- Mondays from 4-5 p.m.
- Tuesdays from 5-6 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
- Thursdays from 4-5 p.m.
Graduate Students
- Mondays from 5-6 p.m.
- Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 12-1 p.m.
- Thursdays from 12-1 p.m.
Faculty/Staff
- Mondays from 5-6 p.m.
- Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 12-1 p.m.
- Thursdays from 12-1 p.m.
Facilitators
Each group will be led by a facilitator, who is also a member of the group. They take a leadership role to help the group work through the activities. If you would be interested in serving as a facilitator for a small group, sign up here.
All facilitators will receive ‘Cats Connect training. Training sessions will take place in room 218 of the Leadership Studies Building:
- 3:30-5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3
- 9-10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4
What others are saying
Here is what some Wildcats said after participating in ’Cats Connect:
- “‘Cats Connect is a small group so it’s not just you being completely exposed to a bunch of new people, just a small group of people.“
- “It was really good to meet people with different majors and different backgrounds and branch out of my normal group.”
- “I gained new confidence in talking with new people – and, it was a lot of fun!”
- “Meeting people with varying personalities who are going through similar situations that I am in was really reassuring and helped me feel more connected to K-State.”
Learn more on the ‘Cats Connect website. The Morrison Family Center for Student Well-being and the Staley School of Leadership teamed up to bring ‘Cats Connect to the K-State community. For questions, email Austin Drake at adrake329@ksu.edu.
