The fast-pace and turbulence of college puts students at a high risk of experiencing mental health issues during their academic careers, yet a 2012 study showed of the 73 percent of participants who reported a mental health crisis, more chose to suffer alone than to seek assistance. University of Wisconsin-Madison student government leaders hope a new peer-to-peer advising office will change that.
Associated Students of Madison Reserve Board members approved funding at a meeting April 30 to build a peer-to-peer mental health advising office to open Fall 2013 in the Student Activity Center. SAC Governing Board Chair Katie Cary said she hopes the new office will reduce stigma surrounding mental health issues and facilitate awareness of professional resources on campus.
The decision came after federal regulations forced ASM to deny the Mental Health Coalition’s application to spend next year in the SAC suite its offices occupied throughout the 2012-’13 academic year.
The Coalition, founded in March 2012, is a collective of three student organizations that encourage students to take an active role in their mental fitness, raise awareness of mental health issues and promote the services available on campus. It includes chapters of two national foundations–the National Alliance for Mental Illness and Active Minds–as well as UW-Madison suicide prevention group Ask. Listen. Save.
Every spring, ASM reviews applications each student organization is required to submit to receive office space the following year, according to Cary. It then allocates SAC suites to different student organizations based on subjective criteria the United States Supreme Court mandates, such as the number of participating members.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 the allocation process be done in a “viewpoint neutral” manner, which means ASM members are prohibited from taking an individual student organization’s mission statement or the work they do into consideration when designating resources and funds. Due to the legislation, the Coalition did not qualify for a renewal of their office space.
“Unfortunately that means that even though Mental Health Coalition is doing amazing things, and they’re literally saving people’s lives, pretty much all their peer-to-peer mentoring programs would not exist next year,” Cary said.
Cary said the situation inspired her to seek an alternative operational space for the Coalition because she “didn’t want students to suffer because of these restrictions.”
UW-Madison senior and Ask. Listen. Save. 2012-’13 executive board member Sarah Porter said Coalition volunteers hope the new office will function as a place of solace for students struggling with their mental health and serve as a “bridge” connecting students to the campus’ professional resources.
The 2011 NAMI study of 765 young adults in which 73 percent reported experiencing a mental health crisis also showed participants listed stigma more often than any other reason as the number one “barrier” preventing them from seeking guidance.
Cary pointed to the office’s visibility on the third floor of the student-frequented SAC as a way to reduce the stigma around seeking help for stress and mental illnesses.
“It’s a very regular thing for [the office] to then be in this space that everyone goes to,” Cary said. “Because everyone is going to have some sort of struggles during their life, even if it’s as simple as stress, every student is going to have issues that they should talk to someone about.”
Porter said NAMI, Active Listeners and Ask. Listen. Save. supervisors will require every student volunteer complete an official training program before being allowed to consult with student visitors at the office.
She stressed the difference between peer-to-peer advisory services and the work University Health Services does counseling students and treating mental illnesses, while also highlighting the ability of peer-to-peer advising to foster comfortable relationships and create a relatable atmosphere.
“A lot of feedback I’ve heard from students who either know someone struggling with suicidal thoughts or who have lost someone to suicide is that it’s a very helpless kind of a feeling,” Porter said. “So the peer active listening, and the peer support is really important because you can kind of relate to one another.”
UHS Executive Director Sarah Van Orman said student mentors are not authorized to provide official counseling services or treatment but can assume a pivotal liaison role between students and UHS in the process of a student receiving proper mental health care.
Since peer advisors have a more influential voice in the student body than administrators, Van Orman said she strongly supports a permanent, student-operated mental health facility for its potential to facilitate awareness of information about and access to UHS’s counseling and clinical treatment services.
Porter defined administrative support as an essential aspect of the success UW-Madison’s mental health student organizations have experienced, which she said “makes our campus stand out compared to other campuses.”
Porter will serve as an advisor next year to the new Mental Health Coalition executive board members and said she is excited to watch the organizations continue to grow. As a member who witnessed Ask. Listen. Save.’s inception three years ago, Porter said the permanent status of the new office ensures the initiatives she and her colleagues have introduced will continue to improve the mental health culture on campus.
Moving forward, Porter said she hopes to capitalize on the “huge” support the campus and community has exhibited for mental health and suicide prevention measures. Ultimately, she said the goal is to “make sure that students are feeling comfortable about talking about mental health and finding resources for themselves and others and not feeling like it’s an isolated issue.”
Alongside NAMI, Active Minds and Ask. Listen. Save., the student organization YES+ Bucky, which stands for Yoga, Empowerment and Service Plus, will share the new office space. YES+ Bucky focuses on stress and anxiety management as well as preventative health using relaxation measures such as yoga, meditation and calculated breathing techniques.
The new facility will feature a yoga and meditation room for students to participate in multiple stress relieving activities every week.
According to Cary, the Board’s approval of her request to designate $52,670 from the segregated fee reserve fund to build the office was unusual, however, she said because the new mental health office fits the criteria of being a “one-time expense” and reserve board members strongly supported the project, they voted in favor of her proposal.
The segregated fees included in tuition will help build the office, but Cary said its operational cost will not exceed the Coalition’s current university funding.
Cary said the decision wrapped up the 19th session nostalgically because it echoed ASM’s first vote of the term, in which officers unanimously adopted a year-long mental health campaign.
“It was kind of a perfect end,” she said. “And I know the people on the reserve board are very happy.”
