Sitting in a semi-circle of chairs in Room 200 in College Hall, one after another, student leaders described how they handle the daily stresses of college life, where they turn for support and how they look out for each other.
“I push myself pretty hard during the week and I crash on the weekends. I take personal breaks and get some exercise,” said Miles Owen, Penn Graduate and Professional Student Association president.
“What has helped me make it to senior year was to reach out to the resources that Penn has to offer,” shared Kathryn Dewitt, a senior from San Mateo, Calif. “There are so many staffers and administrators who helped me when I wasn’t doing well and who advocated for me.”
The panel of Penn undergraduate and graduate students led a Campus Conversation on mental health yesterday evening, as part of Mental Wellness Awareness Week which aims to strengthen support for mental health and raise awareness about wellbeing. It runs through April 7.
The first Campus Conversation hosted by Penn administrators was held last fall, amidst a succession of natural disasters that affected many students and their families and several student deaths.
“We need to listen to our campus administrators about what they plan to do, but we also need to speak back and that’s why it’s a campus conversation,” said Dewitt, “It’s not just one direction. I implore Penn to continue this conversation in our dorms, in our classrooms and even amongst ourselves.”
Panelist Rylee Park, a sophomore from Seoul, South Korea, and a member of Project LETS, Let’s Erase the Stigma, said she was there to represent those without a voice. “I was fortunate enough to be invited to this panel and to have great friends,” said Park, “but there are other Penn students who aren’t necessarily the president of Penn Wellness.”
University Chaplain Charles Howard moderated the discussion with students joined by administration panelists James Pawelski, director of education and senior scholar in the Positive Psychology Center and Meeta Kumar, director of outreach and prevention at Counseling and Psychological Services.
Pawelski said that wellness is “by everyone and for everyone.” It isn’t just about students. “It’s about the entire community.” He said that he believes that learning about wellness should be integrated across the curriculum.
The agenda called for small breakout working groups, but the last third of the 90-minute session involved spirited open dialogue between panelists and the audience of about 100 students, faculty, and staff.
Some lamented the fact that student turnout wasn’t as high as they'd expected. Others expressed appreciation for how far the University has come in bringing conversation about mental health and wellbeing out of the shadows.
“The most important thing is that we continue talking,” said Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett. “While there’s still work to do, we’ve made a lot of progress. There will be lots of conversations.”
