Forty-seven percent of students feel detached from Boston University’s community, according to a handout distributed at a listening session on Monday about mental health on campus.
The BU Mental Health Task Force hosted the listening session to give students and staff a chance to express issues impacting their well-being. The task force was established in 2017 when Student Health Services partnered with the Jed Foundation and its JED Campus Program, according to BU’s website.
JED helps schools to develop policies and programs that increase support students receive for any issues regarding their well-being. In conjunction with JED, the task force, made up of professionals in health and behavioral medicine, focuses on creating policies for student wellness and raising awareness for mental health issues.
The listening session focused on three central concerns: reasons and ways in which students struggle in college, how BU can improve its resources, and how students can feel more supported. The audience was given the opportunity to share their thoughts and suggestions for the task force.
Community members shared a span of concerns ranging from a lack of mental health training to difficulties finding time to focus on self-care. Gillian King, a sophomore in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, expressed concerns for those struggling with seasonal affective disorder, among other mental health issues.
“I came to advocate for myself and get suggestions for what to do,” King said.
Students also expressed discontent about the relationships between professors and students regarding taking days off to catch up on work. Many students said they felt that their professors were somewhat inaccessible when they reached out about maintaining their mental health and preventing stress.
Another prevalent concern among the audience was insufficient opportunities for graduate students to get involved in clubs and activities on campus, causing these students to feel detached.
“There is little programming and information given to me, and my classes are in the evening,” said Alex Cheser, a graduate student studying gastronomy in the Metropolitan College. “I did not feel like part of the community.”
Katharine Mooney, the director of wellness and prevention services and co-chair of the task force, said it’s important for community members to share their concerns.
“This is an opportunity for the community to tell the Mental Health Task Force their needs,” Mooney said. “We’re there to be an ear for the community.”
Mooney said she believes that although many college students struggle with mental health, it is not a popular subject that is talked about on campus. However, the task force hopes the listening session could help change that.
“Mental health is part of our well-being,” Mooney said. “If students don’t have good mental health, it can affect their academic, social and personal life.”
Mooney said that if students are not keeping up with self-care, they cannot get the best out of their experience in college. According to the survey taken at the session, just 46 percent of students felt that they were “thriving” at Boston University.
“We know from campus-wide surveys that many students are struggling with anxiety, depression and stress,” Mooney said. “Our goal is to start conversations and provide services and programs to promote mental health.”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the most prevalent age range for mental illness was 18 through 25 — 22.1 percent of whom experience mental illness.
Jennifer Durham-Fowler, the associate director of outreach and prevention of BU’s Mental Health Task Force, said she believes the group has a lot of material moving forward that they can use to improve BU’s mental health services and its accessibility to students.
“It’s important for me to think systematically about how are we working to improve student mental health,” Durham-Fowler said. “We’re on the right track.”
Mooney said understanding students’ perspectives on mental health on campus is essential.
“In our community, our students are the experts in their experience,” Mooney said. “Mental health is the key to their experience.”
