From Estes--Mental Health Opportnities

Dear Students,

I hope this email finds you well as we begin the big push to the end of the semester. I wanted to let you know about an important search that is just getting underway. With the retirement of the former director, the Division of Student Life will be hiring a new director of the Counseling Center and Student Health Services.

Issues of mental health specifically and health and wellness generally have been at the forefront of our community's consciousness this semester. The new director will play a critical, leading role in helping to construct a strategic vision for the discourse and work on mental and physical health and wellness as our community moves forward. The search committee, including significant student representation, is starting its work and will need your support.

How can you participate? The search committee co-chairs will be holding an initial listening session to hear the voices of students. Information is as follows: Friday, December 9th, at 3 p.m. in Wilder 115. Please come and share your thoughts and concerns. We want to hear from you. Student representatives on the search committee will also conduct a listening session early next semester. I know this is a busy time for students. There will be ample opportunity to provide thoughts and concerns into next semester. If you can't come to this initial listening session the co-chairs of the search committee dean Lori Morgan Flood (lori.flood@oberlin.edu) and professor Meredith Raimondo (meredith.raimondo@oberlin.edu

) still want to hear from you. You can email them thoughts and concerns anytime including over break and into next semester. You can also email me (eric.estes@oberlin.edu) as well. Your input will be heard, kept confidential, and taken to heart.

Students will also play a central role when candidates come to campus. Each candidate will have the opportunity to meet with and share their experiences and vision with students at multiple sessions. I have had the great opportunity of interviewing twice at Oberlin. My sessions with students were the most important, challenging, and valuable each time.

I know that this continues to be a challenging time for all of us. As a community we need to talk more openly about mental and emotional health and make resources as knowable and visible as possible. Since the start of the year, I have had the honor meeting with and listening to the hopes and concerns of many students. My door is always open. Out of those conversations and in collaboration with groups like Active Minds and Student Senate that were already at work, there are a number of things that have been under development this semester. Last Thursday more than 50 students gathered for the first in what will be an ongoing series of open forums on mental, emotional, and physical health. These forums, moderated by students for students, will raise awareness, but also identify important opportunities for action. There are also student plans underway for a public arts project focused on mental health. I am also excited about working with and supporting Active Minds as they tal!
k with the Counseling Center on a potential peer to peer support program. Senate has also been collecting feed back from students all semester on health issues broadly defined and I look forward to learning from their important work. There are also collaborative plans underway to use new and traditional media to make resources more visible for students. In the interim, if you are not sure where to go related to resources, your class dean is always a good place to start.

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, feel free to contact me(eric.estes@oberlin.edu), but especially your fellow students: Active Minds co-chairs Brenna Larson(brenna.larson@oberlin.edu) or Katie Malone (kathryn.malone@oberlin.edu), Senators Mandy Hogan(amanda.hogan@oberlin.edu) or Ilyssa Meyer (ilyssa.meyer@oberlin.edu), or organizer extraordinaire Sophie Myers (sophia.myers@oberlin.edu).

These are just some of the opportunities that have emerged this semester. New ideas and constructive suggestions to de-stigmatize health issues and concerns and de-mystify and make visible and accessible resources are always welcome. I look forward to continuing to work with and support students and my colleagues on this critical area of work.

As we head into finals, don't forget about the many stress releasing resources and opportunities to be in supportive community during the next few weeks. Safe travels and have a great winter break.

Best,