The University of Mississippi Associated Student Body Senate hosted a panel of four university mental health officials at its informal senate meeting in the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Nicolas McAfee, Juawice McCormick, Natasha Jeter and Alex Langhart discussed the mental health resources their respective offices offer.
William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education
McAfee, the director of the William Magee Center, shared that the center’s main goal is to spread the word about resources available to students.
“Our emphasis is in education, it’s in intervention and support, and just general outpatient connection to resources across campus,” McAfee said. “We overlap with a lot of different offices.”
Resources available through the center include wellness coaching, addiction recovery services and further education about the 10 dimensions of wellness.
When questioned by senators about what new programs the center is implementing, McAfee specifically mentioned the center’s focus on the creation of a digital wellness app.
“That’s something we’re hoping to roll out in October, collaborating with (ASB), with an app that we’re looking at rolling out on campus,” McAfee said. “(The app) essentially helps block out your phone when you don’t want to be distracted by it, as well as gives you strategies to study.”
McAfee emphasized that if students are struggling with mental health and do not know where to turn, the William Magee Center is a good place to start.
“One of the things we like to say is if you don’t know where to start in terms of getting support and you don’t know how to access it, our office can be the first stopping point for you,” McAfee said. “It may not be the last one: We want to get you connected wherever you need to go.”
University Counseling Center
McCormick, the director of the University Counseling Center, spoke to the senators about what her center does. She also touched on the importance of seeking help when necessary.
McCormick said the counseling center provides 24-hour counselor access for students who need someone to talk. Additionally, the center is implementing new programs to fit student needs.
“We have added assessment for attention problems because we have so many requests for testing for ADHD,” McCormick said.
McCormick also was questioned about the Clinic for Outreach and Personal Enrichment (COPE), which provides free mental health counseling services for students and members of the Oxford community.
“At the COPE clinic at the (South Oxford Center), we see anybody from the community — it’s a free service,” McCormick said. “It’s a student-run clinic. There are counselor education master’s students there (along) with licensed counselors.”
Other resources
Jeter, the assistant vice chancellor for wellness and student success, and Langhart, the director of University Health Services, highlighted the importance of speaking up and reaching out to friends who may be struggling.
“A lot of students responded that they struggled most not with helping strangers, but with those closest to them,” Langhart said. “(They assume), ‘Oh that’s just so-and-so, being who they are, or how they act,’ or ‘I’ll leave them alone.’ … Embrace the awkward. Just do it — it’s worth it in the end.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, all panelists once again stressed the importance of taking advantage of mental health resources. They also emphasized that everyone should partake in mental health training.
ASB Vice President Trey McKean finished the meeting by saying that though it is not required, he strongly encourages every senator to sign up for the mental health first aid training the university offers.
“(We) will be sending out a document to do sign-ups for all mental health first aid training, and you can indicate if you want to be instructor trained, or just regular trained,” McKean said. “We want to make it very much encouraged and rewarded (to sign up).”
