Improve Wellness for Students: Social and Emotional Well-Being
Early on in their educational careers, students should receive information about on-campus counseling and also the phone numbers of local organizations outside the school where students can seek out support for specific issues, including depression, stress, substance abuse, and other concerns. This should be accompanied by a self-assessment list for signs of mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.
Residence hall advisors should be encouraged to host weekly social events and study breaks to reduce stress and create a sense of community between students. They should also be encouraged to facility once-monthly organized activities such as nature hikes, crafts, or movie nights to encourage students to bond with one another outside of academics.
Student groups which address the needs of marginalized groups which suffer disproportionately from mental health concerns, such as women, LGBT+ students, or students with learning challenges should receive additional funding from the university if they provide programming that offer mental-health specific support, including peer tutoring, peer counseling, or orientation programs that can help students cope with harassment.
Students should be given the voluntary option of making professors aware that they have a history of learning disabilities or psychological issues which might enable them to benefit from increased time to take exams or complete papers. Professors should be made aware of signs that a student may be struggling with mental health or learning challenges that could impede academic performance.
The university should host sessions for students on subjects such as time management and multitasking as part of orientation, to better enable students to cope with the transition between school and home. They should be made aware of stress reduction strategies, such as exercise and meditation, and encouraged to make use of the universitys resources, such as gyms and student meditation groups, as a way to reduce stress.
