Aggies say hello
With Utah State University’s fall semester finally here, it’s time for the Aggies to finally say hello again.
Say Hello is a campaign returning to campus that was created last semester, in hopes of helping students stay connected through face-to-face interaction throughout the pandemic.
A USU marketing student and intern for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Mariela Luster, created the campaign after she recognized students were struggling with COVID-19 restrictions and a lack of human connection.
Luster went to work coming up with something that could be put into effect immediately. That idea turned into the simple act of once again saying hello.
“I came up with the Say Hello campaign in hopes to encourage students to take action and put their phones down to engage with the people in front of them,” Luster said.
Once the university launched the campaign in April, a webpage was created, merchandise was designed and social media posts were made on several of the university’s channels.
Luster said they have received a lot of positive feedback from students who have reported they noticed a difference in their happiness just by saying hello.
This call to action was especially effective during the pandemic when mental health became a huge struggle for students. Although there are many resources available for help, this was a way for all students to help each other.
When the campaign first started, the focus was to encourage social interaction when there were limited opportunities for it, however now, it still contains a message that will always be relevant.
Aaron Albrechtsen, a USU junior, agreed. He said pandemic or no pandemic, you never know how far saying hello can go for someone.
“I think we should always look forward to helping people out even if it’s a simple hello,” Albrechtsen said. “With COVID going away we should be even more excited to say hi to others as we will actually get to see their faces. You never know when someone is having a bad day and you have the power to brighten it.”
Luster described the campaign as a message that is “timeless” because it’s not just solving a problem that COVID-19 created.
“We live in a day and age where we often choose our phones over trying to talk to someone new,” Luster said. “People are constantly on their phones whether that be on the bus, in a long line, or in any public setting. COVID-19 just exemplified the problem that already existed.”
This year, the Say Hello campaign’s goal is to get students aware of the message and help solve the lack of face-to-face connection so that it doesn’t negatively impact relationships.
“The intent behind this campaign reflects the type of caring community we have here at USU,” said Eri Bentley, the associate director of USU’s Counseling and Psychological Services in an article from Utah State Today. “Encouraging social connection may improve mood and outlook as we go into the final months of this pandemic.”
This school year, Luster believes saying hello will still be effective, beneficial and important for all students, especially considering people are finally getting the chance to be social again.
The USU campus store is also selling Say Hello t-shirts this semester to encourage more connections and to spread the word.
The university also held a Hello Walk last Wednesday, which remains a long-standing tradition for USU and still encourages participation in the Say Hello movement.
Other similar events such as the Aggie Stories Project will also help promote mental health awareness.
Suggested ways for staying connected with each other, other than saying hello, can include sitting with someone new at lunch, checking in on an old friend or “text two before ten,” an idea from USU professor David Schramm to text two people before 10 a.m.
The Say Hello campaign webpage suggests how to say hello, why to say hello and even where to say hello.
The webpage also explains the importance of the campaign and why they are working so hard to incorporate this to help others.
It says, “We want to bring back one of the simplest actions that builds human connection: saying hello. Because sometimes it’s the littlest things that go the longest way.”
Jacee.Caldwell@usu.edu
@JaceeCaldwell