This message was sent to the WPI community.
SPECIAL EVENT
Join us on Thursday, March 31, at 6:00 pm in the Rubin Campus Center Odeum for a presentation by Kevin Hines, an award-winning brain/mental health and suicide-prevention activist. Kevin is an entrepreneur, filmmaker, best-selling author, international educator, and speaker who reaches audiences with his story of an unlikely survival and his strong will to live. Learn more.
Now that the Mental Health Implementation Team (MHIT) has launched, we’ll use this space to spotlight MHIT initiatives of interest to the community to give a greater understanding of the work underway and how it impacts you. Meanwhile, we’ll also use other communications channels (social media, website) to keep you updated on concurrent progress across the MHIT sections.
Programs, Training, and Services Section: Center for Well-Being Spotlight
Center for Well-Being Space: Plans are underway for the opening of the Center for Well-Being (CWB) in Fall 2022. The CWB will be an indoor, outdoor, and virtual space that focuses on strengthening the roots of well-being in the campus community and will be co-located with Student Health Services, counseling rooms for clinicians from the SDCC, and WPI’s registered dietitian in a renovated Wedge in Morgan and the first floor of Daniels. The CWB Space Planning Committee has been meeting weekly with the architectural design firm, Lamoureux Pagano Associates, to develop a programming model for the new space. The model will be shared with students, faculty, and staff for input in the coming weeks.
Center for Well-Being Staff: Paula Fitzpatrick, Director for the Center for Well-Being, has been meeting with faculty, staff, and students during her first weeks at WPI and is currently serving on MHIT. She is in the process of conducting interviews for the additional CWB staff: an Assistant Director and Office Services Coordinator and expects to have the CWB team in place this spring. A search committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students is working closely with Paula to conduct the interviews for the Assistant Director position.
Additional MHWB Resources
- The Task Force issued its final reports: an important addendum to the Initial Findings and Recommendations of the Mental Health & Well-Being Task Force, Phase One: Students, which provides additional feedback from focused listening sessions the Task Force conducted with BIPOC, ALANA, LGBTQIAP+, international, and neurodiverse student populations; and the Findings and Recommendations of the Mental Health & Well-Being Task Force, Phase Two: Faculty and Staff.
- You’ve probably heard about the I’m Concerned About a Student form, but do you know what happens once a form has been submitted? Click here to learn about how the Care Team serves an important role in WPI’s student support structure, with each member of the team dedicated to ensuring that every student brought to their attention has the tools to be successful at WPI.
- WPI ID Update: Based on recommendations to the MHWB Task Force, all new IDs will be printed with campus emergency and mental health phone numbers and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and text line.
- Reconnecting with WeConnect Day- Check out a photo essay of all the activities here!
An Update from the Bursar’s Office
In support of student mental health (and given the challenges of the pandemic), we’ve modified our spring 2022 tuition refund policy for withdrawals and WPI leaves of absences. This modification is for spring 2022 only and will not be retroactive to prior semesters. Please visit the website to learn more and contact bursar@wpi.edu or (508) 831-5203 with questions.
WeLEAD: Social Identity & Social Justice Learning Group for Female-Identifying Students
WeLEAD is a program that provides female-identifying students an opportunity to learn about the concepts of social justice, social identities and systems of oppression with a focus on how their identities as women mediate these experiences. Additionally, participants are offered an opportunity to reflect on their personal identities and experiences they have had with social justice, oppression, adversity and more. Learn more and indicate your interest in joining here.
Community voices get real about mental health and well-being.
Community Voices Spotlight
“The early days of the pandemic threw me into a very dark headspace. Thankfully, I have a trusted group of friends that I share everything with. They were the first to realize I was in serious trouble and urged me to call my prescriber. Always keep lines of communication open with someone, especially when life feels overwhelming.”
—Sharon Robsky, Information Technology
Wellness Wednesdays
In an effort to practice self-care and mindfulness, the Office of Multicultural Affairs invites students to come to the Campus Religious Center for a weekly care package on Wednesdays. Learn more here. Note: supplies are limited.
To access previous editions of the Mental Health and Well-Being newsletter, click here.
Be Well Together | SDCC
National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
Student Health Services | I'm concerned about a student form
This email is intended to be for informational purposes only and not to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you or someone you know is in imminent danger of suicidal action or other threat, call WPI Campus police at 508-831-5555 (or call 911 if off-campus) or present for emergency care at a nearby hospital.