The Gatepost Editorial: Let’s provide more resources to support students' mental health

By The Gatepost Editorial Board

September is nationally recognized as Suicide Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the individuals whose lives tragically ended too soon, while also thinking about the importance of one’s mental health.

It’s always important to put your body and mind at the top of your list of priorities. However, given the complicated nature of living in the 21st century, this isn’t always easy.

Fortunately, support systems are in place for when you just can’t get out of your own head.

Above all, remember, you’re never alone - it’s never a bother to ask for help.

At Framingham State, the Counseling Center is your first stop if you ever feel as if you need mental health support. Located next to the McCarthy Center in Foster Hall, the Counseling Center’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Students can schedule appointments at no cost by calling (508) 626-4640, emailing counselingcenter@framingham.edu, or just stopping by.

The Counseling Center offers same-day appointments on a first-come, first-served basis. Unfortunately, because a high volume of students rely on it, you’ll likely need to book ahead.

The Counseling Center is an important resource, but mental-health support at Framingham State cannot end when the workday does. If the University expects students to seek help when they need it, it must make that help accessible outside traditional business hours.

Eight hours of available appointments Monday through Friday is a great start, but what about the rest of the day?

There are 16 hours between 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Sixteen hours when the doors of Foster Hall are closed to the public and the dedicated mental health professionals on this campus are away.

The Gatepost Editorial Board sees a jarring issue with this lack of direct campus support, especially when these are the hours students likely spend away from classes, friends, work, and the normal distractors that keep one’s mind occupied throughout the day.

If 16 hours feels like a long time, just think about how long it is between the time the Counseling Center closes on Friday and the time it reopens Monday morning - it’s 64 hours.

On any given weekday, the windows overlooking campus from Foster Hall are filled with the buzzing energy of students, faculty, and staff. Hundreds of people walk by hourly, and people spend afternoons perched in the shadow of May Hall across the street - it’s a picturesque and idyllic campus community.

But come back to FSU on a Saturday afternoon, you’ll see a much different atmosphere.

A significant percentage of the University’s student population leaves on weekends, whether that be just to visit family or, for commuters, choosing to spend their Saturdays away from campus.

This leaves significantly fewer students on campus - for some, their entire friend group might disappear on Friday afternoon, only to return Sunday evening.

What do we have to offer these students left behind if they are in a crisis?

The University website points to external mental health resources for students. In the event of an emergency, students are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988, seek support by calling the 24/7 Advocates Community Behavioral Health Crisis Hotline at (800) 640-5432, or utilize Togetherall, an anonymous chatroom monitored by mental health professionals.

These are all great options, but how much better would it be if the University had its own on-call mental health professionals outside normal business hours?

Additionally, could the Counseling Center offer some evening hours? Perhaps a counselor could be in the office from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. a number of weekday nights, in case a student who let their day escape them happens to experience a wave of depression or anxiety.

If a student were struggling and they saw a light shining brightly across campus, they just might walk over - instead of making a decision that could lead to a tragedy.

After these hours, an FSU mental health professional should be on call if something happens to a member of our community in the late hours of the night.

Students can be assured that regardless of the hour of the day, there are always employees of Framingham State on duty.

Even if we, The Gatepost Editorial Board, are advocating for more mental health support for students, you currently will receive the care and attention you may require in the event of a crisis during non-business hours.

In your building, a Resident Advisor is on call to assist you if you ever need support. As a student, they may not always be able to provide guidance or a solution to whatever you may be facing, but they can contact professional staff members who are actually closer to campus than you might think.

Each Residence Hall at Framingham State is overseen by a Resident Director or Area Director, depending on the size of the building or geographical location on campus.

These individuals live on campus, and one is always on duty in case of an emergency. They then report to an administrator-on-call, who is the chief point of contact if anything out of the ordinary occurs on campus outside of working hours. This person is off-campus, but as we’ve seen in situations such as the fire in Corinne Hall Towers last fall, the administrator-on-call can quickly be summoned to the University if needed.

University Police is always on call and can respond quickly to any emergency on campus.

These individuals who already serve in on-duty positions likely have some background in mental health support, but as kind as they all are and as willing to help any student they might be, the support of someone who has professional expertise in the mental health field will be able to provide so much more assistance.

We already have two positions that work on an “on-duty” schedule in the evenings. Why not add a third? Funding for on-call, University-employed mental health professionals should be a high priority given the prevalence of mental health issues among college students.

Changes to the University’s staffing regarding mental health support must come from the top.