By Emily Sallade
Elm Staff Writer
Suicide happens more than you think. Many students have lost classmates and friends due to suicide. WC recently held a Suicide Prevention Rally on Sept. 10, National Suicide Prevention Day, better known as “To Write Love on Her Arms” day.
The rally held in Chestertown’s Fountain Park consisted of a candlelight ceremony and program in memory of those whose deaths were caused by suicide and to raise awareness of the epidemic plaguing this generation.
The rally was sponsored by both Defeating Stigma Coalition of the Mid-shore Mental Health Systems and the ManKind Project.
The Suicide Prevention Rally is just one of the projects that WC has undertaken geared toward mental health and awareness. The Active Minds Club is largely responsible as they organize student-led efforts on campus.
“Active Minds is a club that centers around mental health awareness, and removing stigma from things like seeking help for mental health problems, or even just being open about metal health problems,” said sophomore William Moulden, secretary of Active Minds.
“There was a chapter of Active Minds here at WC a few years ago,” said sophomore Elizabeth Ransom, the president of the chapter. “There are now three of us – Christina Eliades, William Moulden, and myself – who are trying to restart it. The officers have some ideas for events that we want to do this year- speakers, awareness campaigns, movie screenings, fun de-stressing activities during finals week- but the club will end up being whatever its members want it to be. We’ll schedule an interest meeting as soon as the SGA votes officially to recognize us, possibly early October. The club is going to meet once every other week, and it’s open to anyone who wants to join. ”
“My hope for the club is to help people who are suffering from mental health problems understand that they are not alone and that it is okay, so that they can seek the help they need to get better,” said Moulden. “Hopefully this will promote mental health wellness throughout the campus.”
In addition, the Counseling Center is offering Grief Management classes to all students who have lost a parent or other loved ones and need someone to talk to. The classes are being organized by Ann O’Connor.
“We have had a large number (in relative terms) of students who recently experienced the loss of a parent, and the Counseling Center wanted to provide a resource to these students,” said Bonnie Fisher, director of the Counseling Center. “We hope that the Center can continue to actively respond to emerging needs of our students.
There are very limited mental health resources in the Chestertown community, so we are especially grateful for the support the College has provided for the Health and Counseling Centers to be able provide top-level services on campus. We hope that Active Minds will be an organization that students who are interested in Mental Health advocacy in general or are exploring future careers in psychology or mental health specifically can be active participants and learn more about programs and services.”
Grief Management classes begin on Sept. 17 and will run through Oct. 22 in the Casey Academic Center Froum from 5-6 p.m. Students should contact Ann O’Connor if they are interested in attending. To those interested in Active Minds there is a Facebook page entitled “Active Minds and Washington College.”