University of Oregon Relocates Duck Nest Wellness Center
The wellness hub moved to the Student Recreation Center in fall 2025 to expand student support services.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Health and Wellness
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The University of Oregon relocated its Duck Nest Wellness Center to the Student Recreation Center during the fall 2025 term following structural issues at its previous site. The new first-floor location resulted in a two-fold increase in student foot traffic.
Why it matters
The relocation allows the center to better address students' mental, physical, and sexual well-being in a more visible campus space. It also integrates resources formerly held by other campus programs to create a centralized hub for student health.
The center currently employs six peer coaches who meet with five to ten students weekly. Over 400 students visited the new facility during the first two weeks of the 2025-26 school year.
The players
Duck Nest Wellness Center
This facility operates under University Health Services and provides holistic wellness resources to the student body.
University of Oregon
This public flagship research university is located in Eugene and hosts the student wellness facilities.
The details
The Duck Nest now occupies the first-floor space formerly held by Shake Smart and includes amenities such as coffee, tea, and a soundproof pod. It incorporates themes and values from the now-closed Men's Resource Center and hosts weekly workshops on nutrition and body image.
Timeline
Shake Smart occupied the first-floor space from 2018 to 2024.
The Duck Nest moved out of the Erb Memorial Union in 2025.
The center opened in the Student Recreation Center during the 2025-26 fall term.
Over 400 students visited the new location at the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Peer-led support groups are scheduled to begin in the winter term.
Industry Dynamics
The center operates under the broader framework of University Health Services, which manages campus clinical and preventative health standards. This integration reflects a growing trend in higher education to centralize student support resources into high-traffic campus hubs.
Students can now access wellness amenities like phone charging stations and coffee in a centralized, high-visibility location. The transition to the Student Recreation Center provides easier access to services compared to the center's previous site in the Erb Memorial Union.
The takeaway
The consolidation of health services into high-traffic areas demonstrates the importance of location in improving student engagement with wellness resources. Students are encouraged to utilize peer-coaching programs to navigate academic and personal well-being challenges.
What happens next
Peer-led support groups organized by the well-being coaching program are scheduled to begin during the upcoming winter term.
Further reading
For more information on local health resources, visit the Eugene Health and Wellness section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Emerald.
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