It’s no surprise that midterm season is a stressful time for just about every university student. Even less surprising is the fact that midterms can be almost impossible to deal with if someone is struggling with mental health. In a 2016 the Ontario University and College Health Association, or OUCHA, conducted a study where they interviewed 25000 college and university students. OUCHA found that 65% of surveyed students reported experiencing overwhelming anxiety. 46% said they felt so depressed it was difficult to function. However most concerning, 13% of students admitted they had seriously considered suicide and 2.2% had actually made an attempted.
With such high statistics its clear all post secondary establishments need to take mental health seriously and provide resources for their students. On October 19 all the committees at Laurier Brantford including Hawk Team, the Food Bank, Peer Connect, EcoHawks, the Healthy Lifestyles Committee, Foot Patrol, Snow Week, the Mental Health Education Group, Hiring and Recruitment, and the Faculty of Liberal Arts Association held and event called Lets Taco-Bout it. The idea of the event was to help students learn more about promoting positive mental health and strategies to relieve stress. This including activities like making slime, a what I am grateful because activity in which students would write down what they’re grateful for, and most importantly free tacos.
Jessica Chesler who is a member of Peer Connect explained that the event was important because, “Laurier Brantford has a lot of clubs and committees that are all looking to bring out more people to join and be a part of the school and collaborate with others. The event is also bringing awareness to what we have to offer. Like with Peer connect students know there are people there to help you through difficult times. There is lots of different things, like the food bank for example, that if you are in need of food there are places for you. It is a great time to come out and see what resources are available.”
Both Laurier Waterloo and Laurier Brantford also offer counselling services. At the Brantford Campus counselling and support can be found through contacting and making an appointment with the Wellness Centre. Students struggling with experiences ranging from family or roommate problems, anxiety, depression, abuse, or just about anything in between can find the help they need through the Wellness Centre. Laurier students are encouraged to remember that they are not alone and to not be afraid to ask for help if they need it.
Photo c/o Vivian Yan
