{"253171":{"#nid":"253171","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mental Health Task Force Releases Report to President","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Mental Health Task Force appointed by Georgia Tech President G.P. \u201cBud\u201d Peterson in May released its report and recommendations on Wednesday, Oct. 30.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChaired by Lynn Durham, assistant vice president and chief of staff in the Office of the President, the 13-person group composed of students, faculty, and staff met during the summer to discuss mental health issues, support, and needs in Tech\u2019s student body. Peterson appointed the group as a result of concerns raised by undergraduate and graduate student leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur students see mental health issues in others, but not necessarily in themselves,\u201d Durham said. \u201cThey are under a great deal of pressure and don\u2019t see the stress points, or the concerning behaviors such as staying up all night multiple nights in a row. They feel invincible and often don\u2019t reach out for the help they need.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe report reviews current mental health offerings as well as proposed offerings currently under consideration across campus, including an online resource portal, peer counseling program, enhanced orientation for international and transfer students, and programming for students in recovery. One collaborative initiative between the Counseling Center and Campus Recreation Center is \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/newscenter.gatech.edu\/2013\/11\/05\/healthy-lifestyles-program-brings-physical-fitness-mental-wellness\u0022\u003Ealready being piloted\u003C\/a\u003E this semester, created for those who may benefit from healthy lifestyle programs and physical activity. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe report also makes 11 recommendations spanning issues related to data gathering, program accessibility, dissemination of information, campus spirit, financial aid, graduate student funding, and positive faculty-student interaction. It suggests a GT 1000 class for transfer students and a GT 6000 equivalent for graduate students. An appendix outlines a previously proposed initiative that would be spearheaded by Stamps Health Services but equip staff and faculty across campus with the ability to better direct students in need to campus resources.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe don\u2019t anticipate that all of this will get done in the next couple months, but by the end of the academic year everything in the report will have been reviewed and addressed in some way,\u201d Durham said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn underlying theme in task force discussions was the impact of Tech\u2019s challenging and competitive academic environment. Students holding themselves to a high standard, and faculty holding them to one as well, can sometimes result in a high-stress, high-productivity environment. In a 2011 National College Health Assessment, nearly 90 percent of Tech students reported being \u201cvery stressed\u201d compared to a national average of around 53 percent. Still, many students don\u2019t realize the way stress may be affecting them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPeterson will task members of his cabinet with drafting implementation plans for different recommendations of the report that pertain to their areas.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERecommendations set forth to be addressed during the remainder of the academic year.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Recommendations set forth to be addressed during the remainder of the academic year."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2013-11-11 09:10:52","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:18","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/president.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of the President"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"10343","name":"mental health"},{"id":"79431","name":"mental health task force"},{"id":"66301","name":"office of the president"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:lynn.durham@carnegie.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELynn Durham\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOffice of the President\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}