In the spring of 2025, the Division of Student Life opened a new campus space, called Vol Retreat, to support student well-being. This space is dedicated to helping students relax and refresh in the heart of campus at the Student Union. Vol Retreat is an oasis for calm, well-being, and tranquility.
“The Student Union, Center for Care and Resilience, and the Student Counseling Center proposed a collaborative and innovative idea for a space where students could take a break, reset, and focus on what really matters,” says Susannah Marshman, assistant vice chancellor for leadership and campus engagement at UT. “Vol Retreat is a place to recharge, reflect, and reconnect—whether that’s through mindfulness, light movement, quiet time, or just taking a breath between classes. It’s about holistic wellness—caring for your mind, body, and spirit all in one place.” Marshman continues that this space isn’t just a room on campus but a commitment to invest in a campus culture that serves and supports the student body.
Created with Student Life Innovation Awards, funds set aside to support creative and collaborative ideas to help students thrive on campus, the space has been designed using evidence-based practices. It’s also trauma-informed and offers a quiet area that doesn’t feel like the middle of a bustling university campus.
“The Student Life Innovation Awards are really seed money for solutions that will help students thrive at UT,” says Frank Cuevas, vice chancellor for Student Life. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen the fruits of this labor. This is a space for students to unwind and disengage as a respite for themselves when they need that moment. These ideas are why we created the innovation awards.”
Space administrators Ian Crone, director of the Student Union, and Alison Ward, associate director of the Student Union, spent months reimagining the former art gallery space on the first floor of the union before landing on the idea for Vol Retreat. Around the same time, two graduate students, Dakota Hodges and Asante Knowles, who had been advocating for a dedicated campus wellness space approached Crone and Ward.
“By combining our ideas, energy, and shared goals, we refined our vision and ultimately created the space students experience today,” says Ward. “I was intentional in weaving multiple wellness concepts and practices into each quadrant, while also ensuring that the furniture, materials, and resources supported students across a wide range of needs throughout their well-being journey.”
From sensory tools, sun lamps, books, and coloring materials to sound machines and a whimsical fairy garden, each element in the Vol Retreat space was thoughtfully chosen to create a calming, restorative environment. University vendors also played a critical role in bringing the vision to life by thoughtfully selecting fabrics, colors, and furnishings that fully support the space’s purpose.
What Vol Retreat visitors are saying:
“This is legitimately my favorite study spot on campus.“
“It is the only quiet area in the student union and the only place I feel at peace.“
“It made me feel so at peace.“
Space administrators also have an ongoing survey open for students to complete, capturing feedback on how the space is working with a QR code link posted near the exit doors. Students can scan the code to submit immediate feedback. In the first month the space was open, 11 students completed the survey, with 100% stating that the Vol Retreat space positively impacted their overall well-being.
Vol Retreat By the Numbers
Of students who used the Vol Retreat space during its first month of operation,
100%
reported that the space positively impacted their overall well-being.