[382] in peace2
THIS SAT, Mental Health workshop in student conference
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Aimee L Smith)
Thu Sep 28 02:38:57 2000
Message-Id: <200009280638.CAA30079@emat1.mit.edu>
To: ua-csl@MIT.EDU, gsc-hca@MIT.EDU, tutors@MIT.EDU, peace-list@MIT.EDU,
nightline@MIT.EDU, gwg@MIT.EDU, peace-women@MIT.EDU, gamit@MIT.EDU
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Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 02:38:38 -0400
From: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@MIT.EDU>
Hi Everyone,
(I apologize in advance for spamming the tutors, but I have heard from a few of
you that it may be interesting as you are on the front lines on many of these
issues... please fwd where appropriate)
Many students, both grad and undergrad have been talking about concerns with
the mental health issues at MIT lately. It was brought up as a topic at both
the UA Committee on Student Life meeting and the GSC Housing and Community
Affairs meetings.
One issue is how long it can take to get an appointment.
Another is being referred off campus only to have to come up with a lot of
money to pay either from parents (which then requires their permission) or
from the measly little stipend check that grads get each month.
Some feel pressured into the medication option (which may be exactly right for
some people, but should allow for choice on the part of the student seeking
help.)
Others feel that the fact that an alarming number of students take their life
over the course of being a student at MIT, we should really be looking hard for
whatever ways we can do more to prevent these tragedies and to facilitate
healing
when our preventions fail...
And then there is ***** YOUR CONCERNS HERE!!! ******
There is a student conference happening at MIT this Saturday and we have
gotten a
workshop on mental health issues on campus to be one of the issues workshops.
The conference is based in 26-100 and runs from 10am-6pm. (Break-out rooms
are in
bldg 26 and 36.)
We are hoping MIT students can come and continue the dialogue on these issues.
If
you can take a few hours out of your Saturday for this, that would be great.
If you
feel very excited about working on this and want to be a presenter, that would
be even better. The session is two hours and runs from 11am-1pm.
Check out <www.bostoncan.net> for more info on the Student Power Conference.
(Campus
Action Network is organizing it and MIT Social Justice Cooperative is hosting.)
There is a registration fee of $8 for advance registration ($10 at door), but
presenters get in free, so how is that for incentive to take a leadership
role?
(Sorry about the fee, but there are admin costs and I am haggling to get lunch
to be included.) The point isn't to give any well prepared speeches or formal
plans, but
to get folks together to listen and be heard and to learn from each other
about what
needs to improve. Also, students from other schools are coming, so we can get
ideas
about what does and does not work for them at their schools.
I know everyone here is very very busy and I definitely understand if you can't
make it, but if you can manage the time, I think this can be another step
towards
bringing people together who want to make serious progress on these issues.
Sincerely,
Aimee Smith
