Being a minority student on the UW-Madison campus-one that is primarily white and heterosexual-can take a toll on the mental health of these students, often creating feelings of isolation, according to UW-Madison Assistant Dean of Students Suzanne Jones.
\The social aspects of UW-Madison that most students take for granted are so culturally oriented toward majority culture that people often don't think about what it's like to be here if you're a student of color from Milwaukee or Chicago and are used to doing activities that just aren't here,"" said UW-Madison Assistant Dean of Students Elton Crim.
Some students do not ever adjust fully to the predominantly white, straight campus and leave UW-Madison because of openly displayed prejudices, Jones said.
""[Some minority students] basically didn't come back for second semester"" because they disliked the atmosphere, said Alexis Perry, UW-Madison senior and Multicultural Student Center student manager.
Although the minority retention rate in 2002 of 88.2 percent is the highest it has been in 10 years, according to WiscInfo's Data Digest, a University Communications release reported only 3,770 out of 41,511 students enrolled for the fall 2004 semester are target minorities. This is up 1.6 percent from last year, but still not constituting 10 percent of the student population.
""I think that sometimes there are problems to people not being open,"" Perry said.
Depression and mental illnesses can abound when feelings of isolation among minorities prevail, said former Surgeon General of the United States Dr. David Satcher in his supplemental report, ""Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity,"" released as a supplement to the 1999 ""Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health.""
""Being a minority student, it's hard to find people that are like you to feel more comfortable with your surroundings,"" said Martin Salas, UW-Madison junior and treasurer of Wunk Sheek, an American Indian student association.
Perry agreed. ""If students of color had people like them around, they would feel less depressed,"" she said.
However, racial minorities are not the only ones feeling the effects of under-representation and isolation on the UW-Madison campus.
""I think quite a few LGBT people do suffer from depression,"" said Eric Trekkel, director of the UW-Madison Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center.
""All the religious and social circumstances that exist in this country make it harder for LGBT youth,"" Trekkel said, noting a high incidence of depression and alcohol or drug abuse among LGBT students.
""That's probably a manifestation of how they do have to struggle so much emotionally with their sexuality,"" he said.
""Madison and the UW System pride themselves mainly on being more open and accepting, and yet I know that there are large numbers of LGBT youths who are heavily closeted,"" Trekkel said. ""I don't think it's nearly as open here as people like to claim.""
The LGBT Campus Center works closely with the University Health Services Counseling Center, providing one-on-one mentoring for LGBT students who are having ""issues with coming out."" Only 25 students seek mentors, although 45 to 50 mentors are available.
""I'm surprised that we don't have a higher demand for them,"" Trekkel said.
The low demand is perhaps because of strictly religious families or peers and constricting social atmospheres that prevent LGBT students from coming out, he said.
The LGBT Campus Center is not the only organization on campus that offers a personalized approach to mental health counseling.
""We make a point of having counselors that reflect different ethnic racial identities,"" said UHS Director of Counseling and Consultation Bob McGrath. ""We are very sensitive to cultural differences.""
Ethnic minority organizations also exist on campus, including the Wisconsin Black Student Union, Asian American Student Union, Muslim Students Association and Wunk Sheek, offering minority students the opportunity to belong to a group with members of similar cultures and backgrounds.
Editor's note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on students' mental health. Tomorrow's topic: On-campus mental health treatment options for students.
