JED Campus Update Spring 2024
During the 2023-24 academic year, the JED Campus Working Group has continued to support student access to campus resources to strengthen individual and community health and wellbeing. The group is concluding projects in the following areas, which were identified as opportunities in Amherst’s JED Campus Strategic Plan, informed the JED Comprehensive Framework for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention:
2023-24 Project Areas
Outdoor Space - Recreation and Leisure
With campus partners in Facilities and Residential Engagement & Wellbeing, project team members facilitated the purchase and installation of 33 durable, recycled-plastic picnic tables and seating next to 16 residence halls to increase space for student gathering, socializing, and spending time outdoors.
Environmental Scan: Sleep Promotion
The project team reviewed campus programming, policies, and environmental factors that promote or inhibit healthy sleep behaviors and patterns on campus. Results were shared with campus partners in Facilities (Planning, Design, and Construction) as part of a conversation reviewing how structural updates that create a sleep-promoting environment (such as adjustable lighting and temperature controls) are integrated into residential building design and renovation processes.
Safe Disposal of Leftover Prescription Medication
With campus partners in Environmental Health & Safety, Health Services, and Residential Engagement and Wellbeing, the project team installed dropboxes for the safe disposal of prescription medication that is no longer needed. The team is developing and distributing information about safe disposal methods in coordination with the Wellbeing Educator for Alcohol & Other Drugs.
Ongoing Initiatives Led By Campus Partners
Interdepartmental groups and offices across campus are continuously developing and implementing forward-thinking and responsive initiatives to support individual student and community health and wellbeing. Several initiatives introduced within the past year that are focused on supporting student mental and emotional wellbeing include:
Leave of Absence Support
In Fall 2023, an interdepartmental group of staff from the Office of Student Care, Center for Restorative Practices, and Center for Counseling and Mental Health piloted several events to support students who are returning to campus after taking a leave. These gatherings re-introduced valuable support resources on campus and created opportunities for connection and community-building among students who are and have previously navigated returning to campus after time away.
Faculty & Staff Resources for Supporting Students in Distress
The Office of Student Care and the Center for Counseling and Mental Health created The Purple Folder, a digital and physical guide to help staff and faculty recognize when a student may be in distress and how to provide compassionate, effective referral to campus support resources.
group support for students navigating sobriety
Sober Network is a new therapy group that offers support, connection, and strategies to students navigating sobriety on a college campus. The group began in Fall 2023 as an additional resource to students who, for any reason, are not using substances. Sober Network is one of many therapy groups offered by the Center for Counseling and Mental Health.
Wellbeing Resource Spaces in Keefe Campus Center
The Wellbeing Makerspace, managed by Residential Engagement & Wellbeing, opened on the first floor of the Campus Center in September 2023. The space offers a variety of arts and crafts supplies, coloring materials, puzzles, health and wellbeing resources, and weekly self-guided wellbeing activities. Students are encouraged to drop into the space to explore their creativity, take a break, and connect with friends.
The Mind Spa, located in the basement of Keefe Campus Center, opened to the campus community in November 2023. Students can reserve 30-minute sessions, during which they can enjoy massage chairs, a meditation space, calming lighting features, mindfulness activities, and more. The space is also reservable by staff and faculty one day per week.
The JED Working Group will continue to collaborate with campus partners to uplift the ongoing work across departments and divisions to center student health and wellbeing and cultivate a sense of connectedness and belonging across the campus community.
