The recent deaths of three NYU students have prompted university and college communities to reevaluate the resources offered to students who are contemplating suicide. Given the close proximity of the NYU campus to Wesleyan and the friends shared between the two institutions, the shock of the circumstances surrounding the students’ passing has lead the community to revisit the forms of support being offered by the University. The Office of Behavioral Health provides a 24-hour counseling service seven days a week, and the student-run group 8-to-8 serves as an additional outlet for students to ask for help and general advice.
In addition to remembering that these services are there for us, we should also view ourselves as being resources for our peers. Though we do not need to transform into therapists in order to extend an open ear, we should try to be more aware of what is going on in the lives of those we care about.
Be informed of what’s happening with your friends. Under varying levels of stress, it is easy for us to get caught up in the daily tasks of our lives and not always pay attention to how others are doing. Taking a moment to catch up with a classmate as he’s walking to the Campus Center or to a friend as she heads to Mocon, is worth the time even on the busiest or most stressful day.
The ability to listen is not only characteristic of 8-to-8 and the Office of Behavioral Health, but of us. Though many of us are not trained to deal specifically with matters of mental and emotional health, we should not ignore the power of just being there and listening to what another person has to say, especially when a level of trust is established.
The best 8-to-8 is the one-on-one time we set aside for one another.
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