PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Nov. 17, 2022) – Most doctors agree that caring for your mental health is just as important as your physical health. And with the stress of college, the pandemic, and other things, most students would agree, it’s a lot to balance, and it can be overwhelming. Enter Prairie View A&M University’s new mental health campaign, designed to tap into students’ stress and give them tools to cope.
“This semester, we have seen an alarming rise in students reporting mental health crises. And while it is alarming for our campus, our trends mirror those nationally at many other institutions of higher education,” said PVAMU Executive Director of Health Services Tondra L. Moore.
According to Moore, there’s been an influx of students entering the campus counseling center with issues of anxiety and depression. PVAMU’s new mental health campaign, introduced this fall, is aimed at helping students with ways to handle those types of problems. Its theme: “No Matter What or Where, We Are There: Faculty, Staff & Students Working Together.”
“The first step in this process is to let students know that they are not alone with their feelings,” Moore said. “Step two helps students to understand there are people all around who support them and are available to help. And the third step allows students to see how others deal with their personal issues. We realize the crisis cannot be resolved by any one department alone.”
This week’s event, Light Up the Night for Mental Health, is the first of what Moore hopes will be the first of many campus-wide events implemented to improve the mental health of PVAMU students.
“During this week’s event, students will hear from our guest speaker, Monaleo, a Houston rapper, who has openly shared her struggles with mental health with audiences everywhere,” Moore said. “She will tell students about her mental health journey and her strategies to cope.” After the interview, a select group of students will be able to meet her in a private setting while other students enjoy s’mores and hot chocolate at the Glow in the Dark party. At the same time, an intimate reverse brunch will be hosted by PVAMU’s Colleges of Engineering, Agriculture and Business.
“Events like this are important because the students are seeking out any resource they can regarding mental health. So much so, they are creating their own student organizations and programming trying to respond to the need they see among themselves.” Moore continued, “Different sectors of the University have all been trying to figure out how to respond and provide what the students need, but we needed one collective effort that would really allow the students to see how seriously we take their mental health.”
Light Up the Night for Mental Health is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Willie A. Tempton, Sr. Memorial Student Center. It is free and open to everyone.
Students struggling with mental health are encouraged to visit Student Counseling Services. Click here for more information.
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