Mental health coalition brainstorms education

Administrators and student health group leaders convened in Houston Hall on Wednesday night to discuss new methods of addressing mental health issues on campus after student deaths that have occurred in recent weeks.

At the Penn Undergraduate Health Coalition meeting last night, attendees brainstormed several possible courses of action for effectively educating students on the ways in which they can help peers who are dealing with mental health difficulties. Several members of the newly formed mental health subcommittee discussed potentially integrating informative sessions about mental health into New Student Orientation.

The meeting marked the introduction of that subcommittee, which was formed at the end of winter break. The subcommittee has organized its efforts into three branches in order to improve Counseling and Psychological Services, expand mental health education policies and erase the stigma surrounding mental health struggles.

Though the overarching goal of the subcommittee is to change the campus culture surrounding mental health, both the students and administrators recognized that they cannot expect immediate results.

“Cultural change takes a long time,” College junior and Penn Undergraduate Health Coalition Representative Elana Stern said. “Other things need to happen in the near future, and that is why we can focus on tangible change in the coming weeks.”

Some members at the meeting suggested ways of changing campus mental health culture by modeling mental health initiatives after programs that have already proven to be successful.

University Chaplain Chaz Howard pointed to Penn’s promotion of the University’s alcohol amnesty policy as an example of an approach that has resonated with students in the past.

“We know what to do with a friend who is drunk — we make sure to get them the help that they need … I’m not sure that people know what to do when a roommate is having a mental health crisis,” Howard said.

Overall, the meeting represented a step toward increased collaboration between students and administration in regard to mental health issues. “It is important that we address these issues as a community,” Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Hikaru Kozuma said.

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