U. students keeping `open minds'

When a Penn student ended his life two weeks ago, his peers were already -- albeit unknowingly -- collaborating to prevent future tragedies like his.

At the culmination of months of planning, about 100 Penn students crowded into the family room of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity house for coffee, music and "Open Minds" -- Penn's newest student organization.

College junior Alison Malmon, Open Minds' founder and president, hopes the new group, which held a charity coffeehouse Thursday night, will remove the stigma from mental illness and help those hurting privately and alone.

"So many people are affected by it," Malmon said. "Its important to bring it to people's attention."

Open Minds will donate proceeds to Philadelphia's Art at Friends Initiative of the Friends Psychiatric Hospital to help pay for a mural in the Young People's unit of the hospital.

Already, Open Minds has received an enthusiastic response from students.

"It just took one person to start something for it to really snowball," Malmon said.

College sophomore Taylor Terkel said that the club will play an important role on campus.

"Mental health is a big problem that not many people talk about," Terkel said. "It's great someone's taking steps to make it a more open issue."

The Alpha Chi Rho band Spoontangle kicked off the event. Rail 3, featuring Wharton Accounting Professor Nick Gonedas on guitar, provided music for most of the night. And Penn Six ended the evening with a comedic routine including cartwheels and lyrical spoofs.

Those in attendance helped fuel the contagious energy. Some students danced in the hallway while others congratulated the new organizers.

"It's just exciting to be here at the beginning to see it all form," College junior Jennifer Bolson said.

Students also picked up informational fliers on a range of mental health issues.

"When people come and take a flier, you just know it hit a chord with them," Bolson said.

Friends Hospital Corporate Development Vice President Nancy Dunleavy stopped by the coffeehouse to thank the club for its donation.

"Building a bridge between those who don't understand mental illness and those who do is important because a tremendous gap exists between the two groups," Dunleavy said.

She praised Open Minds for being a "strenuous voice advocating for mental health awareness."

Open Minds, which is applying for funding from the Student Activities Council this semester, is already planning more events for the coming months, including speakers, poster campaigns and a dating game show.

"We're trying to make something fun out of something that can be kind of a dark topic," s Wharton senior Jason Makuch, the club's event chairman and an Alpha Chi Rho brother.

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