Stressed-out students are abound in academic settings, and the numbers seem to indicate that more are being added to the ranks every day.
In a study on mental health conducted by the
Associated Press
and
mtvU
in 2008, eight in ten college students reported that they had sometimes or frequently experienced stress in their daily lives over the past three months.
That statistic marked a 20 percent increase in just five years.
On Oct. 2, 2017, in response to the growing concern surrounding mental health on college campuses and the recent tragedies at Hamilton, the College administration announced the launch of their Community of Care initiative.
The initiative aims to help strengthen bonds within the community and improve the mental health situation on the Hill.
To complement this movement, the Student Assembly created a working group in collaboration with the Dean of Students office called the Mental Health Initiative. This group works alongside the Community of Care initiative to pursue change and greater awareness on the issue of mental health.
Approximately 40 community members make up the Mental Health Initiative, led by Lorna Boyer Chase, Associate Dean of Students for Student Support Services. The group is diverse, consisting of concerned professors and students alike who acknowledge that mental health is an issue at Hamilton.
Julian Perricone ’20, a Sophomore Class Representative and the Student Assembly liaison for the Mental Health Initiative, offered his own opinion.
“It’s always been a big problem, but a lot of people think that now it’s just a big problem because we’ve had two suicides on campus,” Perricone said. “But it’s always there. Maybe it’s not manifesting itself at all times, but there are always people — large numbers of people on campus — who are struggling with mental health issues.”
As a group, the Mental Health Initiative has proposed a few possible steps to be taken toward improving mental health awareness at Hamilton. One of these is the Poster Campaign; the Mental Health Initiative, along with the Community of Care Initiative, plans to circulate posters that might offer guidance and comfort to those grappling with mental health problems.
“If you’ve seen the SMART and SAVES posters, they have step-by-step directions for what you can do if [you’ve been] sexually assaulted. And they not only have directions but also options,” Perricone said. “In a similar sense, we want to put out posters with step-by-step directions but also options for people who are on different sides of the mental health spectrum.”
Other ideas currently in the works are the incorporation of mental health education into first-year and professor orientations, as well as the possibility of what Perricone calls the “Safe Haven” idea. The “Safe Haven” project, if implemented, would consist of stickers passed out to community members. Students and professors would have the option to put these stickers on their computers or doors, as well as in any other visible places.
Having a sticker would let people know that the individual is interested in mental health issues and is willing to engage in discussion with others who are interested or to offer support to someone who might be struggling with their mental health.
Perricone notes that there are still ways to help for those not part of either initiative.
“The first thing you can do is to educate yourself as much as you can about mental health on your own; educate yourself as much as possible on these issues because they really matter,” Perricone said. “You might not even notice that people or friends are dealing with real struggles and if you want to help them, you need to know how.”
The need for education on mental health, one of the main problems the initiatives aim to resolve, is highlighted by the recent suicides that took place on campus.
Until these plans are put to action, there are multiple resources for those struggling with mental health. As the Student Assembly noted in their most recent minutes, members of the community can reach out to the Counseling Center staff (315–859–4340), the Chaplaincy (315–859–4856) , and the Dean of Students Office. Peer counselors are also available.
“Lorna Chase is our main administrative leader, if you will. There are also some other professors who have a vested interest in the mental health on campus. And then there are students who are vocal about how they feel about how the school handles mental healthiness, students who have had struggles with mental health before and are using their own experiences to fuel the initiative, which is great. And then there are also students who work for the Counseling Center, students who work for Student Assembly and students who are really devoted to improving mental health on campus,” Perricone added.
For more immediate support, there is a professional counselor on call 24/7 who can be contacted by calling Campus Safety (315–859–4000) and asking for the “Counselor on Call.”
