Daily Wildcat | Self-Care and Mental Health | March 2023

THE DAILY WILDCAT

Emphasizing Self-Care and Mental Health

After the pandemic and fall 2022, the last few years have been the roughest many of us have ever experienced at the UA. We want to help the best way we know how: Amplifying voices and sharing vital information.

Self-Care and Mental Health |

Dealing with PTSD 4

7 Trauma on campus, how to deal with it

THE DAILY WILDCAT

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STUDENTS CREATING CHANGE

UA introduces new Students Demand Action chapter, a nationwide org committed to ending gun violence

BY ANNABEL LECKY @ABlecky_23

Students at the University of Arizona just started a chapter of Students Demand Action, a nationwide organization where high school and college students advocate for the end of gun violence.

Co-Presidents Ryan Hicks and Mary Cline, both UA sophomores, collaborated on starting the chapter this past fall, and the club was recognized by ASUA in January.

“I was in a school shooting in high school,” Hicks said. “When I got to the UA there were no resources for school shooting survivors. I wanted to start a safe space for people who have survived gun violence.”

This organization is not only a safe space for those who have been affected firsthand by gun violence, but also for those who are wanting to advocate for change within the state and national government, and specifically on campus.

“A lot of us are really

accustomed to hearing about mass shootings,” Cline said. “Right now, we’re channeling this sense of anger and frustration into action. This means talking about it honestly, and also writing to lawmakers advocating for common sense gun safety laws.”

Most recently, both Hicks and Cline have been in contact with local lawmakers about the possible passing of the Arizona Senate Bill 1300, which would allow anyone with a concealed carry permit to carry a weapon on campus and in the local community.

“If passed, everyone’s going to be affected by this,” Cline said. “Our communities are already dealing with gun violence, and by increasing the number of guns, you’re also increasing the risk of gun violence.”

Cline said that in addition to the obvious risk of gun violence, she also fears that students’ anxiety levels will heighten knowing open carrying is allowed on campus, which will ultimately disrupt

the learning environment here.

“Arming students and professors is not conducive to academic success,” Cline said.

Alongside their work advocating against SB-1300, the group is looking to increase voter turnout amongst collegeaged people and educate the public about concerns related to gun violence in our community.

Hicks suggests “anyone who’s kind of looking to make a change or would like to see more safety policies,” should join the club.

Follow Students Demand Action on its Instagram page @studentsdemand.uaz to find out more information.

You can also view the Students Demand Action national website at studentsdemandaction.org.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can contact UA Campus Health by calling 520-621-9202 or find out how to set up an appointment on its website at health.arizona.edu.

Friend2Friend: Student-led mental health services on campus

BY JULIANA SIML @DailyWildcat

The stress of college can wreak havoc on students’ mental health, but whether you’re struggling with academics, roommates or relationships, the University of Arizona offers a variety of nocost mental health resources for those in crisis or simply in need of someone to talk to.

UA Campus Health and UA

Counseling and Psychological Services facilitate student-led groups focused on reaching out to those struggling with their mental health. These groups fall under the umbrella of Friend2Friend, an initiative aimed at bringing more peer involvement into mental health resources on campus.

“Friend2Friend was actually started quite a few years ago by the Lindon family after their son had

passed away […]. They felt that it would be beneficial to have peer to peer engagement […] because they felt like friends often know things before other people […]. There’s a trust amongst peers,” said Cassandra Hirdes, an assistant director for CAPS.

Since then, the Friend2Friend mission has grown to include groups such as Wildcats Anonymous, Mindful Ambassadors and the WellCat Mental Health Ambassadors. It also offers peer counseling, a completely free service available to all UA students.

“Our peer counselor program [is] supported by CAPS, so they’re trained by CAPS professionals […]. What we’re doing as CAPS peer counselors is filling a gap or a service need,” Clea Conlin, a supervisor for CAPS peer counselors, said.

Conlin explains the process and how speaking with a peer can possibly benefit students.

“Before you maybe reach out to [or are] able to be seen by a counselor, you’re able to talk to our peer counselors […]. What we do essentially is called psychological first aid, which is the equivalent of medical first aid: giving [students] resources, connecting [them] to groups on campus […] and providing listening, empathy and all those lovely human traits,” Conlin said.

You can refer either yourself or a friend to CAPS peer counselors via forms on their website. There is also the option of joining a group if you are looking for a supportive community.

“We have quite a few identitybased groups that are free and run by peer counselors at CAPS,” Conlin said. “These peer

counselors come from diverse backgrounds, and they want to help. They love listening, they love being a part of the community and they love working in the realm of mental health and [fighting the] stigma around mental health on university campuses.”

Wildcats Anonymous is another peer-led group for students who find themselves struggling with substance abuse.

“What we do is we connect students who are struggling with drug abuse or addiction with a peer mentor […] who has experience being sober and has solutions,” said Puma Palacios, executive director of WA. “We have a lot of resources behind us. If I am mentoring someone I can send them to counseling. If they need someone to talk to, if they need a community of sober people I can [help with] that.”

Along with connecting students to resources, WA also organizes alcohol-free events and hosts weekly open meetings for those struggling with substance abuse in room B307 of the Campus Health Center on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays at 8:30 p.m.

“The peer-to-peer option I think is a really powerful tool for helping students get connected with resources. I think mental health stigma has definitely decreased, especially amongst the college population, but it still exists […]. Having friends talk about mental health [and] their mental wellbeing […] has a really unique power that’s different than a professional talking about it,” Hirdes said.

To learn more information from each program, WA and all of the Friend2Friend groups can be contacted on their respective websites.

COURTESY RYAN HICKS

RYAN HICKS (LEFT) AND Maddie Mortenson (right) table at the UA for Students Demand Action, a group dedicated to ending gun violence and providing a safe space for survivors.

Save your life, get a good night’s sleep

University of Arizona research finds link between lack of sleep and risk of suicide in young adults

BY ANNABEL LECKY @ABlecky_23

University of Arizona medical students and affiliates conducted a study on the correlation between sleep patterns and suicidal thoughts and attempts, and the relation is apparent.

If there’s one thing college students are notorious for lacking, it’s adequate sleep.

The need for sleep is regularly preached as beneficial for day-to-day energy levels, mood and general physical health, and while these are all relevant, lack of sleep’s effect on long-term mental health is of dire concern amidst a national youth mental health crisis.

College-aged adults are significantly affected by suicide. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15-24, and the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 25-34.

Andrew Tubbs, a medical student researcher in the Department of Psychiatry’s Sleep and Health Research Program, was the lead researcher in the UA study connecting sleep and suicidal thoughts and attempts.

“My goal was to look at a lot of different sleep

components all at the same time and say, ‘okay, which are the ones that are most relevant for suicide risk in this age group in this demographic,’” Tubbs said.

Tubbs recruited mostly undergraduate students to complete a number of different questionnaires and measures about sleep and suicide specifically, but also general mental health topics such as students’ experiences in the past with depression

and anxiety.

According to the study that was published in the Journal of American College Health, out of the 885 participants, “363 (41.0%) reported lifetime suicidal ideation, of whom 172 (47.4%) reported suicidal ideation in the last 3 months and 97 (26.7%) had attempted suicide in their lifetime. Sleep disturbances were prevalent among those with lifetime suicidal

ideation or a lifetime suicide attempt.”

“Insomnia is related to suicide, nightmares are related to suicide,” Tubbs said. “Poor quality of sleep and loss of control over sleep, which is when people feel like they don’t have any control over when they sleep or how well they sleep, that’s associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation as well.”

Tubbs also mentioned

that in a related study the researchers conducted, they concluded switching sleep schedules between weekdays and weekends is associated with selfharm behaviors.

“We call that social jetlag, and that’s kind of like flying to China and back every weekend,” Tubbs said. “It takes a real number on college students.”

Maintaining a consistent schedule

can help college students feel as if they have some control over their sleep habits.

Tubbs also suggests not compensating for a bad night of sleep by oversleeping the next day.

Raegan Winder is the health and wellness graduate assistant for the Hunter White Health and Wellness in Greek Life course. Winder stressed the importance of sleep to her students and gave them tips for maintaining a balanced schedule.

Oftentimes, students who get good hours of consistent sleep “have better performance overall as a student in class, their grades go up and they are more involved in their activities,” Winder said. Relating specifically to mental health, Winder suggested to her students that when considering struggles they are having, like recurring anxiety, getting more adequate sleep is a really good first step in treating some of those issues.

“We talk about setting that schedule and making it work for their lifestyle,” Winder said. “And then just the value of creating a bedtime routine, making it fun and enjoyable so that you want to go to sleep.”

Winder also suggested avoiding blue light exposure and caffeine before bed.

JONATHAN BONILLA LEON | THE DAILY WILDCAT

A RECENT STUDY BY University of Arizona medical students and affiliates revealed a correlation between sleep patterns and suicidal thoughts and attempts among college-aged adults.

Experts explain the lingering effects the pandemic has on mental health

BY ERIKA HOWLETT @erikaehowlett

It’s difficult to fully comprehend the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on any aspect of society, much less on a topic as complex as mental health. But as the U.S. reaches its three-year anniversary of the beginning of lockdown, it’s clear that the impact of this period isn’t going away immediately.

Lia Falco, who holds a doctorate in educational psychology, is an associate professor in the University of Arizona College of Education. She spoke about how COVID-19 brought mental health to the forefront of society.

“I think it really shined a big bright light on mental health challenges that maybe have always been present for a lot of students, but perhaps became more amplified during the pandemic,” Falco said.

According to Dr. Noshene Ranjbar, an associate professor of psychiatry at the UA College of Medicine — Tucson, the mental health impacts from the

pandemic are complex. She explained the different impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of students, including learning difficulties, social isolation and substance abuse, along with the grief and loss caused by illness and death.

Ranjbar called for more systems in place to help people and more education about taking care of ourselves.

“Those aspects of building community and building a sense of human connection are absolutely essential to addressing the impact of trauma,” Ranjbar said.

Leslie Ralph, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology, is the coordinator of mental health promotion and communication for the UA’s Counseling & Psychological Services. Ralph discussed how the different phases of the pandemic impacted students, from the isolation of quarantine to the tensions of readjusting to society and in-person education.

“Challenges that students faced during that time with school — changes in their GPA, difficulty meeting demands,

starting programs in the middle of the pandemic — have then had lasting effects on their ability to feel connected and their ability to thrive in those programs now,” Ralph said.

But as the pandemic exerts less and less of an impact on our daily lives, there has been important progress. Ralph has personally seen positive changes at the UA in terms of more awareness around mental health.

“I just see a lot of departments within the university starting to ask questions about how they can support mental health,” Ralph said.

Dr. Trung “Jack” Duong is a fourthyear psychiatry resident at the UA College of Medicine — Tucson. He has noticed the increase in the need for mental health care, with more students reaching out for help with depression, anxiety and ADHD since the pandemic began. He has also noticed that there aren’t enough available psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors to meet this demand.

“There is an increase in need even after the pandemic and I feel like the shock wave might continue for many, many years to come,” Duong said.

Along with the learning difficulties from the pandemic, Ranjbar also mentioned the impact of technology on college students as harmful to mental health.

“Our brains are not wired to be in front of blue light and screens 20 hours of the 24 hours,” Ranjbar said.

While recent years have seen an increase in young people discussing mental health openly, the downside is that many people aren’t getting information from reliable sources or getting legitimate help.

“We need to put more of our money and spending into mental health resources,” Duong said. “Even with Telehealth, we need to make sure that we expand internet access.”

Accessibility remains a major problem. Falco pointed out that the primary barrier that keeps people from accessing therapy isn’t stigma, but accessibility

with regard to time, transportation and money.

Falco has seen increases in mood disorders in K-12 students as well and spoke about the ongoing crisis in mental health affecting adolescents and college students.

“We’re still not yet, as researchers, able to say fully whether that’s a direct result of the pandemic or whether it’s all of these related factors that have just converged around the pandemic,” Falco said.

But she explained that this time caused a “collective trauma” that affects both individuals and society overall.

“That will be felt for many, many years to come,” Falco said.

The first step to fixing this problem, she continued, is acknowledging these issues instead of rushing a return to normal. She also spoke to the necessity of making services more equitable and accessible.

“We can’t have a conversation about mental health without talking about how hard it is to get help,” Falco said.

The omnipresence of Zoom may have been harmful for some students, but in terms of mental health care, it’s been revolutionary.

“We’d been talking about offering Telehealth for years,” Ralph said. “It was hard to make it happen logistically, and then we did it overnight basically.”

Telehealth has been a major improvement in making mental health care accessible, but there are still many barriers to making quality care available to everyone as college students continue to struggle with mental health issues at high rates.

“It is a crisis,” Ranjbar said. “It’s both the impact of the pandemic but also the fact that our healthcare system is not optimal.”

Ranjbar is critical of our current infrastructure, but also confident that progress is coming and that there is reason for hope.

“No matter how stressful and traumatic something like a pandemic can be, it’s also fertile ground for growth and innovation and learning and maybe becoming even stronger,” Ranjbar said.

MARISON BILAGODY | THE DAILY WILDCAT THE UNIVERSITY RELIGIOUS COUNCIL hosted a day of “memory, healing and hope” to memorialize the lives of Arizonans lost to COVID-19 on March 23, 2022, on the University of Arizona Mall in Tucson, Ariz. There were 2,800 flags placed on the lawn, each representing 10 Arizonan lives lost to the virus.

The impact of trauma on campus: How students are affected, what they can do to begin to heal

BY DANIELLE HARTSHORN @DailyWildcat

After the shooting of professor Thomas Meixner on Oct. 5, 2022, finding ways for students to support their mental well-being and what options are available to them became even more of a necessity on campus.

The mental health of students attending the University of Arizona is an ongoing conversation, especially following traumatic events like the October shooting. As individuals try to cope and grieve, there are several options students can consider to aid this process.

For some students, the recent school shooting on campus isn’t the first time they have experienced this type of violence. One of these students is Ryan Hicks, a sophomore at the UA.

When Hicks was in high school, she experienced a school shooting. People she knew in class or extracurricular activities were injured and killed. Even after this traumatic event, when she came to the UA she was still struggling, according to Hicks.

“My grades really suffered last year because I didn’t understand how to get help, and no one understood what it was like to be afraid in a classroom […]. It was very, very isolating coming into a new environment. Until the shooting happened in October this year, I felt like no one really knew what it’s like,” Hicks said.

For Hicks, it was beneficial to reach out to her mother and friends. Being able to talk with her friends from

high school who have gone through the same thing was important, she said.

Reaching out to others, whether they be friends, family or strangers can be a helpful outlet after experiencing trauma or extreme stress.

Maggie O’Haire, associate dean for research at the UA College of Veterinary Medicine, researches how service dogs can affect veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. O’Haire discussed the importance of opening up and connecting with others.

“I think one of the most dangerous things is when someone isolates, stops talking and doesn’t connect with their community or the resources and support that are available,” O’Haire said. “So my advice would certainly be to speak up. Say something to someone and know that there are people who care truly and want to help.”

People who feel like they are not close enough with anyone to talk to still have options as well.

“There are national hotlines that even accept text messages,” O’Haire said. “So it doesn’t necessarily even mean that you need to physically find someone and talk to them. A starting point can just be one of the national crisis hotlines […] anything that sends a message to someone is an excellent first step.”

Therapy has also been helpful for Hicks. A treatment that Hicks would recommend to others is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. According to the American

Psychological Association, EMDR “encourages the patient to briefly focus on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories.”

Hicks, like O’Haire, also stressed the importance of reaching out to others who have experienced similar things and finding strength in that support system.

“Even more than therapy, sometimes I think just finding a community is more helpful,” Hicks said.

An extension of this message can be seen in the Students Demand Action chapter for survivors of gun violence at the UA that Hicks has established.

“The chapter I started was because I found no resources on campus,” Hicks said. “Starting it for me was really helpful because it was a way to channel my feelings towards what was happening into something […]. There’s been a very big network of support that’s come up behind it.”

According to Hicks, her advice for other students who have experienced a traumatic event is that if you need help, see if UA Counseling & Psychological Services are available, reach out to a therapist or lean on a loved one or trusted friend.

When students experience violence in a learning environment, it could lead to various mental health conditions.

One disorder that results from trauma is posttraumatic stress disorder.

Not everyone exposed to trauma will develop PTSD; it primarily depends on a variety of factors. Each person responds to events or trauma differently, according to O’Haire.

PTSD’s symptoms include internal reminders of the trauma, avoidance of external reminders, heightened states of anxiety and negative changes in mood or thinking, according to O’Haire.

A lot of these symptoms are normal after people go through trauma, said Dr. Patricia Haynes, associate professor in the Health Promotion Sciences department at UA’s Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The biggest issue is when these symptoms worsen — one of them being avoidance.

After trauma, the most common reaction is depression. Sometimes people express that they don’t feel the full range of emotions that they used to feel, and this sense of numbness can result in depression, according to Haynes.

“It [a school shooting] is such an acute and traumatic event. It’s also in a place where an individual is hoping to feel safe and secure and learn. So certainly an event like that could be triggering,” O’Haire said. “And I think the most important thing would be to address early symptoms, to seek resources, to seek help, to engage with [the] community and really support each other as a means of preventing that. Because it doesn’t mean that someone will get

PTSD, but it is certainly a traumatic event that requires attention.”

According to O’Haire, the most effective treatments for this disorder are prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. These treatments typically involve exposure to small doses of previous trauma, so that the patient becomes more comfortable with it and recognizes that they are still safe.

It can be helpful after a traumatic event to slowly and gradually expose yourself to those fears. Therapy is as versatile as it is helpful whether you have a disorder or just want to develop skills, according to Haynes.

Haynes believes that the therapists at CAPS have solid training and offer evidence-

based therapies for treating students who have gone through a traumatic event.

“It can be a really nice resource for students,” Haynes said. “It’s never too late to seek treatment. And definitely not to feel bad about that at this point in time.”

CAPS hours: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. by appointment only.

Call the CAPS 24/7 number: 520-621-3334

Free Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988

Free Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

EM MARIE CUEVAS | THE DAILY WILDCAT STUDENTS DEALING WITH TRAUMA may feel alone, but local and oncampus resources can help students find support and community.

OPINION: Your situationship is ruining your life

is why we struggle to form real relationships — we’ve tricked ourselves into thinking we have them all already.

BY OLIVIA KRUPP @Oliviakrupp1

Afew months ago, a friend showed me an Instagram post of some couple I vaguely knew.

“Look how cute they are. They look so good together,” she said. I agreed. They are cute. I followed our adoration of their cuteness by asking how long they’ve been dating.

“Oh, they aren’t dating. They’re kind of just in a situationship,” she said.

She followed it with a mixture of a laugh and an uncomfortable smile. I nodded and smiled back. I reassured her that I understood, but while doing so, I began to feel like I was actually reassuring myself.

While it varies from person to person, a “situationship” can be most broadly described as the gray area between two people who aren’t in a labeled relationship but aren’t quite friends either. It’s amongst the likes of phrases such as “we’re talking,” “we’re a thing” or even “we’re Snapchatting.”

The Oxford English Dictionary describes a situationship as a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered to be formal or established. The sample sentence below the definition reads, “I’m trying to turn our situationship into something more serious.”

As of February, Google Trends reports the word hitting an all time high in popularity. If we aren’t the ones saying it, we’re hearing it — or vice versa.

While it is undeniable that relationships, especially in college, can be trying and complex, one cannot help but wonder about the damage done to a generation who can’t learn to commit. Or rather, one that doesn’t want to.

Unfortunately, for most of Gen Z, we have created a culture in

which the mere thought of being in something serious is seen as a bind similar to marriage. Instead, most would rather play house and do every single thing people in relationships do — just without the pesky label of boyfriend or girfriend.

Herein lies the shiny appeal and short shelf life of situationships. For a generation who has become accustomed to automatedresponses like “I’m not ready” or “I don’t like labels,” anything else seems almost abnormal. In fact, we can probably count on one hand the amount of people we know who are in labeled, committed relationships.

A 2022 survey by data and research company Ypulse found 68% of millennials have been in a committed relationship, while only 34% of Gen Z can say the same. The statistic is significant and yet not at all surprising.

What happened?

The question isn’t an easy one to answer. The phobia of labels and the decrease in dating is a fairly recent and ever-growing epidemic within our age group —

its effects resulting in terms like “situationship.” It feels probable that the explanation for this new phenomenon stems from social media and the illusion of choice more than anything else.

Through different types of social media like dating apps, Instagram and TikTok, we are oversaturated with beautiful people, places and things at our fingertips. This influx of media and perceived options creates a fantasy world before our eyes, distorting the way we view ourselves and our relationships with other people.

Dole out a few more likes, scroll just a little bit longer: there’s always something better out there and your 3,000 Instagram followers prove it so. Everyone is interchangeable, just small pixels in a sea of endless and seemingly accessible options. Keep scrolling. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, this illusion is infiltrating our lives. The idea that there is a better option out there, that the grass is greener somewhere else — it isn’t the truth. This delusion has left us paralyzed and socially stunted,

rapidly evolving us backwards.

A 2021 study done by Survey Center on American Life reported nearly one in five American men admitted to not having a single close friend, while 59% of men and women were able to identify just one person as their best friend. These statistics counter a culture engulfed with dating apps, influencers and Instagram following.

Shouldn’t we feel more connected than ever?

Social behavioral norms made regular through social media like ghosting or Instagram stalking have turned once authentic interactions into a game. We size up meaning through relationships via their spot on our Snapchat best friend list or whether we’ve posted together on Instagram — something our parents never experienced.

While our followers are the highest they’ve ever been, our connections with other people have never been more watered down. In truth, we exist in a state of perceived closeness with the people around us. Perhaps this

Unfortunately, so much of Gen Z wants to have their cake and eat it too. They want the benefits of having a boyfriend or girlfriend — the emotional support, the company and the bonding — without the commitment of actually having the title.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the seemingly beneficial aspects of a relationship like this and even easier to become wrapped up in the pursuit of the next best thing. The truth is, real and meaningful connections, especially in 2023, are not a dime a dozen.

The Instagram models you follow don’t know you exist and you cannot swipe right on someone in real life. People are not always interchangeable and there is no substitute for real life relationships and people — especially the romantic ones.

While looking at modern relationships through this lens, it’s easy to understand how the “situationships” we so often experience aren’t based in reality. The lack of interest to create a deeper connection doesn’t make the couple on Instagram a situationship — it makes them friends.

This terminology and culture we have created is not one we need to reassure ourselves is normal, or even healthy — the beauty being that we can choose to opt out if we so desire.

Like anything else, there is always a gray area within relationships, especially for college students. We are young, often unsure and unaware of exactly what we want. The notion, however, that someone being noncommittal is anything other than them being committal is problematic, exhausting and harmful to your mental health. For many of us, the grass is as green as it’s going to get.

— Olivia is a sophomore studying journalism. She enjoys reading, foreign films and poetry.

JONATHAN BONILLA LEON | THE DAILY WILDCAT WHILE IT VARIES FROM person to person, a “situationship” can be most broadly described as the gray area between two people who aren’t in a labeled relationship but aren’t quite friends either.

The pressure of the pool: A DI diver’s view on mental health

BY MADISON CARNEY @madisonrcarney

Swimming and diving are among the many sports with a competitive atmosphere and overwhelming pressure that can negatively affect its athletes’ mental health. Strenuous training, high stress levels and maintaining a certain image can be very detrimental to an individual.

For diver Gracie Sleeman, becoming a Division I athlete at the University of Arizona was exciting. Coming from Michigan, being in Arizona meant she would have the opportunity to train outside every day and dive in an outdoor pool.

But the image she constantly felt pressured to maintain led her to develop an unhealthy lifestyle and question her passion for what she loves most.

Freshman year

In her freshman year on the Arizona swimming and diving team, Sleeman began to notice issues arising within her athletic performance. She was introduced to new mental blocks that became anxietyridden and disruptive when trying to perfect her dive.

Being a freshman during the COVID-19 pandemic and having to go home for an extended period of time, Sleeman found herself struggling more with anxiety and depression. It took a turn when Sleeman returned to campus in the fall of 2020 and

started to develop a negative relationship with food and her body.

“My sport is just so based on aesthetics,” Sleeman said. Women’s swimming and diving, alongside many other sports, deals with being judged and scored — on every little detail.

Sophomore year

As Sleeman’s eating disorder began escalating, Arizona Athletics reached out to her. They advised her to meet with a new therapist, dietician and psychiatrist after assistant swimming and diving coach Dwight Dumais, the head of the diving program, had contacted them.

“My coach Dwight [Dumais] cares so much about us as people before athletes,” Sleeman said. “He wants us to excel in our sport, but he really wants us to do well as a person.”

Sleeman said it is really easy to feel pressured or self-conscious due to the nature of the sport. While she was struggling with eating and facing different behaviors, she still managed to force all of her efforts into diving. By the end of her season, she had made the NCAA’s swimming and diving championship.

Because she was performing great athletically and maintaining satisfactory grades, she was able to convince herself that she didn’t have a problem.

“I was just completely in denial,” Sleeman said. “I didn’t know what I was doing, I was

just so unhealthy.”

Junior year

With lots of therapy and struggling with her mental health on and off throughout her sophomore year, Sleeman realized it had been a long time coming to take a break. With 13 years of diving came built-up stress that stemmed from spending her entire life in a pool.

“You’re trying to upkeep an image of being strong enough to do hard dives,” Sleeman said. “You also want to look a certain way.”

By March 2021, her team of doctors suggested she seek more professional treatment. At the beginning of May, Sleeman took a semester off school and attended McCallum Place, an inpatient residential eating disorder center in St. Louis, Missouri, where she had group therapies and meals in a program made specifically for athletes. Sleeman said it was helpful to be surrounded by people in her world who could relate to what she was going through.

After leaving the facility, Sleeman moved on to partial hospitalization where she visited the hospital for eight hours a day and stayed in an off-site house. She was discharged, returned home in July and made the decision to retire from diving and take another semester off in the fall. It took her a long time to accept herself and figure out what was important, according to her.

About a month later, once Sleeman had become much healthier, she realized her choice to end her career in diving was a

mistake. So, she called Dumais and he welcomed her back to the team.

“I thought that I had lost my love for the sport, but I guess you could say I just lost love for myself,” Sleeman said.

Once she found love for herself again, she said her love for diving returned too.

Senior year

She returned in January 2022 to restart training and began competing again this year. Sleeman said it felt like normal and her team worked together and established a healthy environment for one another.

“I feel like it really proved to myself that, like, you went through everything but you still did [it],” Sleeman said. “You fell down but you got back up, and that’s what’s important.”

When dealing with her mental health, Sleeman explained that sometimes, you never want to admit to yourself that you have a problem.

“It’s so important to hear,” Sleeman said. “It destigmatizes mental health and just shows people how important and real it is.”

Recovery is a long and ongoing process for Sleeman and a battle she has to face every day. She said that it never really goes away, she just gets better at managing it.

Looking ahead

Sleeman will retire this season and is set to graduate in December with a major in digital journalism and a minor in business administration.

NATHANIAL STENCHEVER | THE DAILY WILDCAT AN ARIZONA WOMEN’S SWIMMER competes in the freestyle event on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

Need a stress reliever? ‘Dog Days with the Dean’ offers weekly pet therapy

BY TEREZA RASCON @rascon_writer

The University of Arizona Dean of Students Office hosts a weekly event called “Dog Days with the Dean” in hopes of relieving student stress and increasing morale through pet therapy.

Hosted every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Nugent Building, the Dean of Students Office partners with Pet Partners of Southern Arizona and the Humane Society to bring animals for students to connect with.

According to Chrissy Lieberman, the associate dean of students, the program started around 2012 as a oncea-semester event. The initial motivation for creating this event was to get students to come into the Dean of Students Office before they needed to in order to make them aware of how the office can support them.

“We also did something called ‘Wind Down Wednesday,’ and we were doing things like Ben’s Bells and different things to bring students in, but dogs were by far the most popular,” Lieberman said.

How “Dog Days with the Dean” works is students can come inside the Nugent Building and, after swiping their CatCard, they are taken to a back room space where they are introduced to a variety of dogs they can pet and play with.

“It really is as simple as showing up,” Lieberman said. “You can talk to the people who are bringing the dogs, you can talk to other students. We had chairs out, but most people just get on the floor with the dogs.”

The costs of running the program are relatively low, according to Lieberman. Pet Partners and the Humane Society (through their Pet VIP program) volunteer their services to the UA

campus, so besides paying for a few things like parking, it costs very little.

Even though the event is called “Dog Days with the Dean,” the program has also brought on other kinds of animals besides dogs, including horses, cats, ponies, goats, etc.

“Any animal that has passed the neutrality test and can handle this environment, we would love to have,” Lieberman said.

Diane Korn and Diane Alexander, two Pet Partners volunteers, explained how pet therapy works and how their organization uses this type of treatment throughout Southern Arizona.

According to the Pet Partners website, “[they] believe that the human-animal bond is a

mutually beneficial relationship that improves the physical, social, and emotional lives of those [they] serve. [They] are motivated by connection, compassion, and commitment to sharing this meaningful bond with everyone who can benefit from time spent with an animal.”

Pet handlers, who are also volunteers of Pet Partners, first go through a handler’s course and then must go through a 20-part evaluation in order to be registered to work with Pet Partners, according to Alexander, who also coordinates the evaluation.

“Certification implies an outside third party doing the testing, and we self-test. So, we use the term registration. It is essential people understand it as

certification,” Alexander said.

Pet therapy programs like “Dog Days with the Dean” are shown to be crucially needed in college settings, especially at the UA.

According to the 2022 Health & Wellness Survey, compiled by UA Campus Heath, about 41.9% of students felt so depressed that it was hard to operate, 62.4% of students were overwhelmed with anxiety and 49.7% of students felt things were hopeless, all since August 2021.

“There are studies that show that certain hormone levels either raise or lower depending on what’s going on,” Alexander said. “I think cortisol, which is a stress hormone, when you’re petting a dog lowers it. [It] can also lower blood pressure.”

According to an article on a

study from the North American Journal of Psychology, “therapy dogs have been shown to significantly reduce stress” and “college students who held a cat or dog unfamiliar to them had a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, suggesting that the simple presence of a cat or dog can impact one’s physiologic response.”

“The oxytocin, which is the feel good hormone that bonds mothers with babies, is mutually released with those who are interacting with the animals and in the animals themselves,” Korn said.

UA freshman Maddie Reel heard about “Dog Days with the Dean” when she attended Bear Down Camp. Reel has been attending this event since the first week of school last semester.

“It’s relaxing for me personally to hang out with the dogs, and it’s a good break from school,” Reel said. “It’s nice because you miss your dogs from home, especially being out-of-state.”

“Dog Days with the Dean” isn’t the only pet therapy program on campus. Other organizations such as UA Counseling & Psychological Services, the Honors Village, the SALT center, also partner with Pet Partners and other similar organizations to hold events similar to what the Dean of Students Office does.

Pet Partners is also always looking for volunteers to help out with monthly evaluations.

“It’s a great opportunity for [college students] to just be off campus and be around animals and people that love animals, and it’s very interesting for them to just watch the process, and then they get to interact with the animals as well,” Korn said.

If students are interested, they can contact Diane Korn at diane81@me.com.

AND RELAX

HANNAH PALMISANO | THE DAILY WILDCAT THERAPY DOG BONNIE BELLE sits at the University of Arizona’s “Dog Days with the Dean” event, hosted weekly by the Pet Partners of Southern Arizona and the Humane Society.

HANNAH PALMISANO | THE DAILY WILDCAT THERAPY DOG MAXX SITS in the University of Arizona Dean of Students Office for “Dog Days with the Dean,” a weekly pet therapy event held in the Nugent Building on Wednesdays.

Find alternative self-care, mental health options locally

BY AJ STASH CASTILLO @comicsconverse

Self-care can be accomplished according to the individual. Whether it’s going to get a favorite meal or taking a nice relaxing bubble bath, self-care is infinite. There are some places in Tucson that cater to certain parts of self-care, like massages.

Massages

Tucson Massage Company offers different kinds of services catering to what people are looking for. Founders Donald Lockwood and Ari Whiting have catered to the local community with the company since 2017. “We create opportunities for people to experience deep states of relaxation, primarily through contact body work. The way that it facilitates self-

care for people is, obviously it helps to address physical issues that people might be having with stored tension in the muscles and soft tissue. But on a deeper level, it allows people the opportunity to experience their parasympathetic nervous system,” Whiting said.

Tucson Massage is located at 1222 E. Broadway Blvd. and open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. by appointment. There, they focus on corrective bodywork. The practitioners have advanced training to address conditions from frozen shoulder to forward head syndrome.

The infrared sauna is a popular service that has been offered for the last year and a half at Tucson Massage. The infrared light benefits the heart and body as it helps one to

“sweat it out.”

“I feel like getting a massage is becoming a really popular and common way for people to care for their bodies and minds. There’s a holistic approach there within massage therapy that treats both body and mind,” Whiting said.

Besides massage, the act of exercise can also be a form of self-care, whether it’s a walk around the block or even yoga.

Yoga

YogaOasis is one of the local yoga studios in Tucson that offers different types of classes, such as Yoga Hour. The business is owned by the studio director of YogaOasis, Darren Rhodes.

“The most important way of self-care for me is community. Having people for us to count on to work through things, and

I have the privilege of having a therapist, which really helps,” Rhodes said.

To Rhodes, the mission of YogaOasis is self-care through stretching and strengthening the body. The poses in the classes are expressive and the forms help with self-awareness. The act of yoga is a way to neutrality from Rhodes’ perspective.

YogaOasis offers different kinds of classes depending on what a person is looking for. Yoga Hour is one of the classes that is an alignment driven flow. It’s a slower class than the usual Vinyasa yoga class. There are other classes that offer eight to 15 poses in a one hour class.

“Doctors will often say ‘Oh, you should do yoga, that’ll help you.’ That is either true or it is not […] That’s where specifically at YogaOasis we have high regard for biomechanical alignment. Through the alignment, we’re minimizing risk — which these poses come with plenty of — and maximizing reward, which this practice can offer much of. That means stabilizing joints, strengthening muscles that stretch so that self-care is a practice and it’s not something that’s easy to obtain. Which is why I practice and offer these practices through instruction,” Rhodes said.

YogaOasis’s central location is at 2631 N. Campbell Ave. and open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Outside of yoga there is also holistic self-care through alternative remedies.

Spirituality

Yolia Botánica is an online shop owned and operated by Guadalupe Tineo that offers botanical bath salts, smoke cleansing floral bundles and more.

To Tineo, self-care involves a series of stages. Firstly, she said,

people must take care of any immediate needs that can help them rejuvenate their joy, peace and tranquility levels.

“In order to achieve these things we need to take care of ourselves in the most basic ways,” Tineo said. “Then we go into the next facet of self-care, when people don’t feel like basic necessities are enough anymore […]. I think when we get to this phase we start to question our humanity, we start to ask, ‘What else is there to me, outside of me?’ […]. This is what I call the ‘humanity tank,’ taking care of yourself and prioritizing your self-care involves taking care of others.”

Tineo started her business while reconnecting with her own journey. Her products allow protection over one’s self. They also reflect her own Mexican ancestry as they help get rid of the bad energy that one may bring in after a long day.

She recently created creosote oil out of the creosote plant, known for the rain smell. She said she doesn’t work with white sage or palo santo in her floral bundles out of respect for Indigenous communities.

Through her products, she said, she intends to help the people of the Tucson community reconnect with their identities as they take their own journeys in life.

“It feels unreal,” Tineo said. “Sometimes I’m taken aback by how much impact I can have over people that I don’t realize until I’m at my markets or I get emails from people asking specific questions. I start to connect with people and I realize how many people feel very similar to me, disconnected and asking ‘where do I belong?’ It’s beautiful to know that I can have a positive impact on people and be some kind of guidance of how to go about their reconnection with themselves and their spiritual bodies.”

AJ STASH CASTILLO | THE DAILY WILDCAT

YOGAOASIS’S CENTRAL LOCATION IS at 2631 N. Campbell Ave. in Tucson, Ariz.

Arizona college campus pantries tackle food insecurity amidst rising consumer costs

BY JANE FLORANCE & SOHI KANG El Inde Arizona

One in five University of Arizona students is experiencing food insecurity right now, according to UA Campus Health’s 2022 Health and Wellness Survey. Food insecurity means “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways,” as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nutrition is especially important as college students often rely on cheap fast food due to a number of factors such as busy schedules.

Each of Arizona’s three public universities operate food pantries for students in need to combat this issue.

In 2021, Arizona State University had a 26% rate of food insecurity while Northern Arizona University had a 47% rate, according to a student food and housing

insecurity report by the Arizona Board of Regents. The UA had a 35% food insecurity rate that year, according to the same report.

A statewide problem with rising food costs

The current economic climate makes having food security increasingly challenging with consumer food prices jumping 10.1% over the past year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Food prices are rising due to inflation, which is affected by multiple factors, said UA research economist Beatriz Del CampoCarmona.

“Poverty rate increased, unemployment rate increased and housing affordability declined — so there are many factors that affect food insecurity,” Del Campo-Carmona said.

The effects of COVID-19 also left more people food insecure because of job disruptions. Households that experienced job disruptions had a food insecurity rate of 57%, compared

to 19% for households that did not experience a disruption, according to a 2021 Map AZ Dashboard survey by UA Senior Research Economist Jennifer Pullen.

“Inflation rising about 7-8% puts pressure on people as wages stay stagnant,” Pullen said.

Bridging the gap between the three universities

The goal of the three public universities’ food pantries is to provide a convenient and free way to find food. The pantries provide any student, faculty or staff member with a variety of groceries.

Roughly 1,600 students visit the UA’s Campus Pantry on a weekly basis, Senior Coordinator of Basic Needs Center and Services Bridgette Riebe said in an email interview.

Though purchasing operations at this time have not been affected by inflation at Campus Pantry, it is becoming harder to provide pantry staples like eggs with the recent shortage.

“We are not decreasing the number of eggs purchased due to the costs, however, because of the shortages, we are not getting in the number of eggs ordered,” Riebe said in the email.

The egg shortages nationwide come after an outbreak of bird flu late last year wiped out more than 50 million chickens, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

ASU’s Pitchfork Pantry serves about 600 people a week across its campuses, according to the pantry’s faculty advisor Maureen McCoy.

But there is limited availability because Pitchfork Pantry is operated as a student-run club.

“Admin does not see the food pantry as the way to improve food

security. We are entirely grant supported and obtain individual/ community donations. We receive no funding (or on-campus space) from the university,” McCoy said in an email.

NAU had an average of 300-350 weekly visitors at its food pantry, Louie’s Cupboard, said advisor Azah Quach.

Quach said being open to having a conversation about food insecurity is important, too. Many students do not even realize they are experiencing food insecurity because they do not entirely understand what it is.

“Yes, you can go out and use your money to buy that food. But if you buy that food, is it putting you out on something else that you could have used the money for?” Quach said. “Be open to talking about it.”

Food pantry hours

The UA’s Campus Pantry is open 2 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays

and Fridays in the Sonora Room on the first floor of the Student Union Memorial Center. Any student, faculty or staff member can access it with a CatCard or ID number.

NAU’s Louie’s Cupboard is open for distribution from 1 to 4 p.m. biweekly and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays for grab-and-go bags at the Lumberjack CARE Center. Any student, faculty or staff member can access the pantry.

ASU’s Pitchfork Pantry is open at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix Campus from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays. The Tempe Campus Pantry is open Mondays from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 2 to 3 p.m. Their Polytechnic Campus Pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

*El Inde Arizona is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.

SOHI KANG | THE DAILY WILDCAT CAMPUS PANTRY VOLUNTEERS ORGANIZE supplies in the Sonora Room on the first floor of the Student Union Memorial Center on Friday, Feb. 24. The pantry offers a variety of food staples such as milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables and boxed food likes mac and cheese.

SOHI KANG | THE DAILY WILDCAT CAMPUS PANTRY VOLUNTEERS ORGANIZE food into different baskets in the Sonora Room on the first floor of the Student Union Memorial Center on Friday, Feb. 24. The goal of the pantry is to reduce food insecurity in the University of Arizona community by offering free food staples to students and staff.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

OPINION: Grief is hard to deal with, especially in college

reflect on the death. Grades can drop, and people can isolate themselves from friends and family.

BY KELLY MARRY @kellycmarry

Bereavement is both demanding and burdensome, especially if you’re not dealing with it well. Being in college, there are so many other things to agonize over, like balancing classes and social life. If you toss grief into the mix, students are more prone to mental issues like insomnia and PTSD, and most don’t seek mental health services. In fact, only 44% of college counselors report having given grief counseling this past year, according to a University of Rochester study.

While other students are partying and having fun, it is hard for those struggling with grief to

College can be distracting in an unhealthy way, but it can also keep students busy from thinking about their deceased loved one at the same time.

It’s hard for people to talk about losing someone they love, but it’s a necessary activity to help them move on. Whether it’s talking to friends, family or a trained professional — talking about the loved one’s death can be a healthy way to cope.

Speaking to a trained therapist can help people cope by using their strengths to amplify their ability to manage the situation.

Expressing your feelings in support groups for bereavement helps you to cope by talking to others who are going through a similar experience.

There are also many other

healthy coping methods, like journaling and crying. Writing in a journal or just your notes app can reduce anxiety, create awareness and encourage opening up. Crying reduces pain, detoxifies your body and improves your mood.

Also, taking care of your body and mind, like meditating and eating regularly, can improve your situation.

Instead of coping with talking, crying and writing, many people choose to cope with drinking and drug use. Alcohol and drugs, like weed, are easily accessible and can help your mind take a break and can cause feelings of relief. However, using these methods can lead to addiction.

These substances can only offer temporary relief; people need to find healthier alternatives to live a healthier life.

My grandma passed away in early August, a week before

school started. It was totally unexpected, and it nearly killed me. She was my best friend and confidant but lived 1,500 miles away, so I called her every Sunday.

Seven months later, I am coping better and using healthier coping mechanisms. I write in a journal whenever I feel unhappy, and I let myself cry if needed.

Grief isn’t linear; you can find peace for years, but one moment can cause you to go off the deep end. Be kind to yourself when this happens. Grief is a sorrowful part of life, but we must grow.

Many people have experienced grief before, so finding someone to talk to about it is easier than you think.

— Kelly Marry (she/her) is a sophomore studying journalism and public relations. She loves reading and traveling in her free time.

Get a jump on your heart health in your 20s

BY ARIANNA LOPEZ El Inde Arizona

What can twentysomethings do now to lower the risk of heartrelated illnesses later?

Although these specific celebrity deaths occurred in adults over the age of 50, health professionals at the University of Arizona’s Campus Health believe young adults should take action now to reduce their risk of heart-related conditions.

UA health professionals say people in their 20s should start eating healthy, exercising regularly and looking at their family medical history.

Dr. Harry McDermott, a physician at UA Campus Health, said in an email that a heart attack is usually related to cholesterol plaque buildup in the inside of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. High cholesterol

and blood pressure are factors that enable cholesterol plaque buildup, as well as obesity and diabetes. These factors can happen to anyone, no matter their age.

If cholesterol plaque builds up over time, it can rupture and cause blood clots in arteries, according to McDermott. This will then block the flow of oxygenated blood that would normally flow through the artery. If the heart is cut off from oxygen, the heart muscle tissue starts to die, causing the most detrimental consequence of a heart attack.

A heart attack is not the only disease that affects this organ. There are various cardiovascular diseases that can pose a risk to one’s life.

McDermott said in an email that young adults should start incorporating healthy habits into their lifestyle while they’re still young. This includes 30-60 minutes

of daily exercise, eating a balanced and nutritious diet and avoiding smoking vapes and other tobacco products.

He also suggested that by your 20s, you should begin keeping an eye on your blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels. And these should be checked every three to five years.

Age and sex play significant factors in cardiovascular disease, according to McDermott. Men are more at risk than women, but the risk increases after the age of 50 no matter the sex.

Caitlin McKenna, a nutritional counselor at UA Campus Health, said someone with a family history of cardiovascular disease can lower their risk with diet tweaks, including lowering their overall cholesterol levels by limiting saturated fat in their diets and adopting more plant-based fats and proteins.

“Meats such as beef, pork and any fried meats contain saturated fat. We are looking for leaner sources of protein such as turkey, chicken and fish,” McKenna said. “Increase in fiber is good, specifically soluble fiber that can directly decrease LDL cholesterol, which is that cholesterol that can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.”

The second recommendation McKenna explained is to add more soluble fiber to your diet. This can be found in plants, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. All of these foods can help lower LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol.

The third recommendation McKenna made is understanding your family’s medical history.

“Cardiovascular diseases are multifactorial. Having a history of cardiovascular disease automatically increases some type

of risk,” McKenna said. “A patient will be doing ‘everything right’ nutrition and exercise-wise, but they can still have some type of cardiovascular disease biomarkers. This can include high cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL, or highdensity lipoprotein, cholesterol levels. Having high levels of LDL cholesterol can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.”

Although the risk of cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks increases more as a person ages, creating healthy habits and having a well-balanced diet consisting of soluble fibers now can further aid to decrease risks of cardiovascular diseases and promote good heart health in the future, according to UA health professionals.

*El Inde Arizona is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.

SELA MARGALIT | THE DAILY WILDCAT EVERYONE PROCESSES THEIR GRIEF differently, whether that means going to support groups, spending more time with family or writing in a journal.

OPINION: The UA fails to help as toll on community’s mental health continues six months after campus shooting

many gain from the memorial’s presence to the perhaps daily reminder that can upset others as they grieve in their own ways.”

BY DIETZ @DailyWildcat

Since the shooting last semester, University of Arizona President Dr. Robert C. Robbins and the school’s administration have been focused on recovery and mental health — but this commitment often feels like lip service.

Healing from trauma takes an unknowable amount of time, even with medication and therapy. The administration’s wish for a speedy recovery is not only at odds with the human condition, but outright apathetic to it.

Insincerity

In November 2022, it was reported by KGUN news that the UA had removed a memorial for professor Thomas Meixner without consulting the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. When asked why it was taken down, the administration responded with, “best practices suggest that a month is a reasonable time to balance the comfort that

I do not believe there has been any significant report or study that has ever suggested community-made memorials have a negative effect on those communities. It seems more likely that the university did not want a public reminder of tragedy to taint the university’s image. This failure to be honest with students and faculty has led to an increased burden on campus mental health. Many students and faculty that I talk to continue to feel unsafe. Nobody seems to believe in any of Robbins’s promised changes. The administration’s refusal to own up to its own failures after the shooting has weakened trust in handling future incidents. This leaves students and faculty watching the continuing trend of school shootings with a heightened anxiety about their own safety.

Broken trust

A recently leaked report from the UA revealed that Black students are experiencing higher levels of emotional

distress as well as higher levels of harassment. The UA only wishes to paint a picture of being a safe campus for diversity and inclusion, without engaging the accountability needed to make it a reality. The administration is aware their primary demographic is affluent white students and their messages of racial equality and acceptance is ultimately to soothe white guilt rather than assure Black students’ concerns.

Women on campus continue to feel unsafe and lack confidence in the administration’s ability to hold male students and staff accountable for harassment and assault. A young female opinions writer for the Daily Wildcat was harassed and threatened by male students. When she reported this to the Dean of Students office, the response was disorganized and delayed.

Murad Dervish, charged with the killing of Meixner, even had a history of harassment on campus months before the shooting, yet had no problem returning to campus with a weapon. Multiple complaints were made to the UA about this harassment, according to several Hydrology and

Atmospheric Sciences faculty members. Had the administration prioritized the safety by believing its own students and faculty when complaints are filed, then perhaps Dervish might not have had the opportunity to carry out his attack.

Lack of affordable resources

The combination of economic burdens with traumatic events has only made things harder for working class students. Students with less financial means have fewer resources and less time to heal than those who are more well-off. The UA’s Counseling and Psychological Services does not even accept AHCCCS, Arizona’s Medicaid service that provides insurance for those in financial need. There is also the fact that many adjunct professors do not make a substantial amount of money teaching classes that they now feel unsafe in. So both students and faculty facing financial troubles are left with few options.

It’s all about the money

The reason the university leaves its own campus

community without support is likely because doing nothing looks like there is nothing wrong with campus culture as a whole, and campus culture is a major selling point to attracting new students.

Robbins and his administration may send out a slew of emails about mental health, healing as a community and creating a safe space, but at the end of the day, they are just emails.

Robbins was the former CEO of Texas Medical Center prior to running the show here at the University of Arizona and it shows. The school’s administration under him is heartlessly cold to the human needs in a way that feels distinctly corporate. Every mistake, every failure, has a clear profit motive no matter how much mental health is invoked as a rationale. Robbins is great for the school’s wallet but a heavy burden for the collective health of the campus.

— Dietz (they/them) is an illustration and design major at the University of Arizona School of Art. They love film, art and Karl Marx.

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ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE

OPINION: Everyone should use Togetherall

BY LUKE HAMLIN @DailyWildcat

The online community that supports students’ mental health is larger than you may think. Counselors and clinicians at the University of Arizona are committed to bringing this community to the student body on campus. Life has increasingly moved online post-pandemic, and this move has generated virtual means to effectively address mental health, changing the landscape of health support for the benefit of students.

Student services have expanded to include Togetherall, a newly adopted resource within UA Campus Health’s Counseling & Psych Services. Togetherall has recently emerged as an innovator and leader for improving mental health, and they’re doing it remotely. It provides a safe, anonymous space to connect and converse with others who seek similar support, a sense of community and improvement of their mental health. Monitored by licensed clinicians who provide instantaneous responses with full-time access, the platform has been a reference point for many health representatives at the UA for its reputation of effectiveness.

The Assistant Director of CAPS at Campus Health, Debra Cox-Howard, was instrumental in bringing the online community, Togetherall, to campus. While Togetherall is not

directly affiliated with the UA, the efforts of CoxHoward and others have advocated for its expansion onto campus. Its recent addition as a mental health resource will help educate faculty and diversify its portfolio on treatment options when it comes to properly assisting students.

Among the many online services offered by CAPS, Cox-Howard emphasized the importance of Togetherall. When asked about the program she said, “they do a very good job of linking back to our website where you can find selfhelp information and other resources that are available to you as a student on this campus.” Togetherall aligns with the studentdriven approach that CAPS takes to ensure a healthy academic experience. Their approach to online services creates convenience and time efficiency for students, as the choice to support a fully online platform was intentional and due to the impact of the pandemic on student life.

Many students continue to learn remotely, and health professionals like Cox-Howard strive to meet students where they are. Students have given feedback that Togetherall helped them feel less isolated in the midst of the pandemic. This was one piece of technology that gained popularity from the pandemic, and it certainly validated the idea that there is an excessive amount of time and cost associated with commuting to a meeting that could just as effectively be held online. Togetherall appeals to students as it is easily accessible, always available and free to join.

“2.5 million students [are] able to access the platform, and CAPS gets thousands of new students that are joining every month,” Cox-Howard said.

The sudden influx of students joining the online mental health community is likely due to the comfort in online anonymity and the ability to share sensitive information freely without worrying about personal identification or association. According to Cox-Howard, a striking “64% of students are sharing thoughts or feelings [on Togetherall] because it’s anonymous.”

Anonymity is simply more time efficient for students because it focuses on only providing the important information and avoiding any introductions or social interactions present in-person that may otherwise negatively impact on students’ treatment processes. Pros and cons exist for both online and inperson treatment, and Cox-Howard believes that online treatment has strengthened enough to become as effective as the human presence of a therapist or community group because, “it’s going to depend upon the person and their needs” and “we as clinicians have become more savvy as to how we can still interact with students.”

As a senior student, I have experienced the UA before and after the pandemic, which brought significant online mental health opportunities to campus. In my experience, health professionals have built the skill set to sufficiently treat patients and handle their needs

virtually. While I personally believe that using Togetherall will efficiently address your critical needs as a person to help you perform at your best as a student, UA Clinical Assistant Professor at the UA College of Medicine and Director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship, Dr. Elisa Gumm, shared another perspective on her experience expanding the online mental health community.

The Addiction Medicine Fellowship, composed of student medical fellows, focuses on improving treatment of individual substance abuse in the greater Tucson community; the fellowship offers a whole host of online services such as telehealth appointments. The addiction community came together to support their own during COVID-19. While Dr. Gumm was not aware of the platform Togetherall, she emphasized the easy accessibility of similar organizations that have built supportive online communities. Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery and an organization unique to Tucson, Buddhist Recovery Network, all offer peer-supported online modalities and recovery models for both mental health and addiction issues. From our conversation, it’s clear that many mental health professionals believe that utilizing Togetherall and mental health resources alike should be an essential part of the student experience.

The first step to addressing your mental health is having a

conversation with a professional support structure, and the College of Medicine has made significant efforts to bring that accessibility online for their patients.

“We have to stop thinking that everybody fits in this same box and that everyone is going to benefit from face-to-face or virtual,” Gumm said.

Togetherall is available to everyone with access to the internet, no matter your schedule or situation. The space has a place for many struggles, needs and treatments.

Life moved online may have increased the struggle to control mental health among college students. Since the beginning of the pandemic, social isolation has likely been one of the leading factors that have affected mental health. Fortunately, technology has allowed for many aspects of life to continue and for many people to get the mental health support they need. A Zoom classroom

alone can reveal how technology has transformed and improved our society to provide more efficient solutions to our most basic needs. Technology creates convenience and opportunities to address new challenges and it can help you focus on your mental health. CAPS illustrates that Togetherall is a great solution for students searching for comfortable and cost-efficient mental health relief. I urge others to explore Togetherall to address concerns and establish connections. Conducting self-care is not selfish and protecting your well-being should be prioritized by every student, even before that overdue homework assignment.

— Luke Hamlin is a senior. He enjoys spending time with friends and family, being active outdoors and thrifting for clothes and can be found cheering for the Minnesota Vikings on football Sundays.

MARY ANN VAGNEROVA | THE DAILY WILDCAT

Campus support group CEDAR plants roots for eating disorder recovery

BY GRACIE KAYKO @DailyWildcat

“What is a rose, a thorn and a blossom from your week?”

This is a question Jan Courtney, a facilitator for Campus Eating Disorder Awareness and Recovery group, often uses to start her meetings.

CEDAR is a free support group within the University of Arizona’s Campus Health programs. The

group is designed to teach students who struggle with disordered eating to think differently about food and body image.

CEDAR is a safe space to talk about disordered eating for students who may not feel comfortable talking about these issues with other people in their lives.

Lisa MacDonald, another facilitator for the group, describes CEDAR as a community. It is a place

where students can come together and realize they are not alone.

At the weekly group meetings, Courtney and MacDonald start with introductions and have students share their rose (something good), thorn (something bad) and blossom (something they want to work on) from the week.

Afterward, the group discusses a variety of topics including diet culture, what messages the students received growing up about appearances, dysfunctional thoughts and cultural messages around food.

“We look at what cultural messages are and how they vary from culture to culture. What one person grows up with can be the opposite of what someone else grows up with,” Courtney said.

CEDAR is open to any UA student whether they are seeking support or education on disordered eating and body image issues.

“Reminding people that although their specific issues may be different from someone else in the group, everybody has the same underlying concerns,” Courtney said. “Hopefully we create a space where it is safe enough to talk about all these things and ask questions and remember everybody else in that group is there for a reason.”

Mental health is at the center of the conversation at CEDAR. MacDonald describes mental health using the metaphor of the “stool of health.” Mental health is just one leg holding up the seat of health.

Eating disorders are one of the many mental health challenges that students face, according to MaryFrances O’Connor, an associate professor in the psychology department at the UA.

“College students face all sorts of mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, depression,

and social isolation. Many factors contribute to these issues, including academic pressure, financial difficulties, social adjustments, and the overall transition to adulthood,” O’Connor said over email.

She suggested college students who are interested in taking steps to address mental health concerns should seek help, prioritize self-care, develop a support system, practice stress

management techniques and work to manage time effectively.

CEDAR is a free support group for students who are unsure or know they are struggling with disordered eating and body image issues. Seeking help can be the first step to recovery.

The group meets weekly at the main Campus Health building in the Counseling and Psychological Services office every Tuesday from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

GRACIE KAYKO | THE DAILY WILDCAT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA’S Counseling and Psychological Services can be found on the third floor of the Campus Health building. This is where the CEDAR group meets.

GRACIE KAYKO | THE DAILY WILDCAT AN ARTISTIC SIGN WELCOMES visitors outside the CAPS office. The Campus Eating Disorder Awareness and Recovery group meets here on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

GRACIE KAYKO | THE DAILY WILDCAT A SIGN HANGS ON the front door to the CAPS office to let all visitors know that masks are still required inside. This rule also applies to anyone interested in joining any CEDAR meetings.

GRACIE KAYKO | THE DAILY WILDCAT A BOARD IN THE University of Arizona’s Counseling and Psychological Services waiting room spells out “welcome” in a variety of languages.

GRACIE KAYKO | THE DAILY WILDCAT A WHITEBOARD HANGING IN the CAPS waiting room lists out the schedules for all the services, including the CEDAR group.

“Love bombs” away: How excessive attention

manipulation

BY ELLEN NANGIA @DailyWildcat

“I want to give you so much love. It’s so nice to think that this could be forever. You’re my human. This is special or we wouldn’t keep coming back.”

If you’ve ever heard something similar, maybe you forgave him for the fifth time in two years because he totally cares about you, right?

Love bombing has been a term flooding the internet in recent years and causing people to reevaluate the love they have experienced. It can be described as excessive amounts of attention, adoration and affection with an undertone of manipulation and narcissism, according to a 2022 Banner Health article.

According to the definition, love bombing is typically seen in a dating relationship. But as we enter a time defined by “situationships” and hookup culture, love bombing can still give someone control while they simultaneously avoid the commitment that comes with standard relationships.

Tori Parks, a senior at the University of Arizona studying psychology, has experienced love bombing first-hand. She didn’t recognize the manipulation until she was considering breaking up with her boyfriend of nine months.

“It’s a form of manipulation. It’s a cycle of giving you everything, then nothing. To be someone who love bombs is to be strategic,” Parks said.

While Parks agrees with the Banner Health article that love bombing is an active form of manipulation, some think it may be tied to the trend of young adults being disinterested in commitment.

Josie Phillips, a UA senior, has been through it all when it comes to complicated relationships. She thinks college relationships are hard, especially during a time when a lot of change is occurring.

“College is just full of a lack of commitment, at least with people our age. I’ve dated older men too, but it seems like those guys just want full

commitment and for me to be ready to have kids in a couple of years,” Phillips said.

So how could someone have it all while investing nothing? This could be where love bombing comes into play, according to a Psychology Today article on the motivations behind the act.

Someone could keep their nonpartner in arms reach by making false promises and sharing loving words to keep the other person interested enough to stay. An “exclusive situationship” is what Parks called it.

From her own experience, Parks described how it felt like the good always outweighed the bad. The fun was worth being torn down because it was temporary to the feelings she felt towards him. Once Parks was aware of the love bombing efforts, she still managed to find herself inclined to call him.

“I started craving it so I would be the one calling. I’m so ashamed of that,” Parks said.

PsychCentral points out that an effect of being love bombed is behaving in a way one normally wouldn’t, such as putting a partner’s needs above their own because they feel like they somehow owe it to them. Love bombing can be linked to narcissistic personality disorders and emotional abuse.

When we talk about it this way, it becomes a more significant topic among today’s young adults as mental health has been an increasing concern in recent years.

As a psychology student, Parks explained the lack of commitment as possibly being due to the excess of dopamine in our lives, leading to an impatient lifestyle where people want everything at a moment’s notice. Social media and party culture help us meet a variety of people, but Parks added that we weren’t supposed to see this many people in our lifetime, which could contribute to the trendy disinterest in commitment.

As the dating world continues to change in this ever-evolving world, just make sure to watch for bombs.

“LOVE

SELA MARGALIT | THE DAILY WILDCAT

BOMBING” CAN BE defined as excessive amounts of attention, adoration and affection with an undertone of manipulation and narcissism, according to Banner Health. The term has gained popularity in recent years and is often seen in the form of spam texting, lots of gifts, bold statements such as “I love you” or “we’re soulmates” early on in a relationship and more. Banner Health suggests taking a step back from the situation and seeking out a therapist for help.

could be used as a form of

OPINION: It’s okay if your friend doesn’t speak to their parents

BY KATE HERRERAS-ZINMAN @DailyWildcat

I’m not on speaking terms with my father, and I wish that was viewed as normal. I haven’t been on speaking terms with him since May of last year, and it comes up surprisingly often. People do ask you about your parents when you’re in college, but those aren’t questions you think of as odd until you’ve cut a parent off. My father has been manipulative and angry for all of my life, but that was my normal. I had to go to a university he wanted me to go to. I had to do things just his way or he would freak out. For an entire week in high school, he even kicked me out of his house for saying “Fuck you,” which is just about the most normal teenage thing I can think of, but to him, it was an egregious offense.

My father is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as am I. For him, that manifests in a lot of rigidity that shows him needing people to bend to what he wants. It’s something he never worked on. So one day, I reached a boiling point. I was using the last of a semester’s meal plan money to throw a random pizza party for some friends. This wouldn’t do; why should I spend money on something dumb and frivolous when I could save him money by inviting him to dinner on campus with me? He even said he’d like to use my phone so he could call Papa John’s himself. He kept pushing the subject, and I realized that it was too much for me. We haven’t really spoken since. I’ve blocked him on every platform, and the major turning point was very literally pizza.

When it does come up that we’re not on speaking terms,

people automatically assume the worst. People say “I’m so sorry.” People ask if it’s because I’m trans. I have to work up the courage to tell them that it’s a voluntary situation — that what I wish they’d say is “good for you!” I have to push down this urge to tell them off for assuming so many things about me. Yet, the situation is a far more common one than you’d think. I spoke to many people who also wish this was less taboo — more than I could possibly include in an article. I put out a call on social media for anyone who’d been in this position — voluntarily not speaking with their parents — to speak to me. These are their stories.

First, Elizabeth Sofley responded to my Facebook post looking for people to speak to about this subject promptly. Sofley and I used to be on an improv team together over Zoom during the pandemic called Disaster Time, and this was the first time we’d seen each other since.

Sofley had cut off her mother and had a compelling response as to why. “My mom and I were like the Pam and Tommy of mother-daughter relationships. We were like together — apart — together — apart.”

Sofley and her mother would go through periods of not speaking starting when Sofley was 14 years old. It was eleven years ago, at the age of 28, that Sofley cut her mother off for the final time. Having originally left her mother at such a young age, Sofley said, “There wasn’t a preparation to leave. It was more like when Sylvester is hanging on a pole and Tweety’s going ‘pleek-pleek-pleekpleek,’” Sofley mimed Tweety Bird plucking at Sylvester’s hand. She went to live with her grandmother at that time.

When asked about people’s responses to her not being on speaking terms with her mother, Sofley told me “What would be nice is inclusivity. If someone

were to do the math to realize ‘This person probably has a pretty lonely Thanksgiving,’ I think an invite to an event that promotes community would be a perfect response.”

Second, Robert Becker responded to the aforementioned Facebook post. I’ve known Becker for years. He’s a friend of my mother. Becker is a travel agent and rock musician, having played with bands such as The Gin Blossoms.

Becker first cut off his father at a young age, but they eventually got back in touch. “When my mother became ill, I wanted to present a united front with my brothers and me, and my father sent me an email saying that what I was doing was a very kind thing, and that resumed contact between us.”

Becker says that, for a while, this went well. Eventually, however, things turned sour again. “He began to do things that were very homophobic, not directed so much at me as at my little brother who was much more vulnerable than I was; he didn’t have the support of other gay people.”

Eventually, Becker got back in touch with his father through other family members. They’re still in contact today. He says his father recently pointed out how happy Becker seems. “We had lunch, and my dad said to me ‘The others did what was expected of them, but here we are forty years later, and you’re happier than any of them.’ That’s nice. I’m not interested in being compared to them, but at least he recognizes that I’m doing my own thing and learned how to be happy.” […]

Third, I spoke with Jen Haskin. Haskin is a family member of a friend of mine. She reached out to me based on my Instagram post. She hasn’t spoken to her parents in over a year after cutting contact

voluntarily. Haskin is also unique in regards to everyone else on this list and, as far as I know, anyone I’ve spoken to; she has Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Dissociative identity disorder made the process of cutting a parent off hard for Haskin. “It was like fighting. There had to be a time when it was about the people who were hurt and didn’t want to talk to them anymore and not about the people who wanted to be in a relationship with them.”

Haskin stressed that the decision still felt like an empowering one. “It still feels empowering, and I would tell anybody who felt like they wanted to do it to do it because, even if it was a struggle, I would stand behind that.”

A takeaway to be had from these stories is that it’s not always a bad thing to not speak to your parents. It can be

freeing. It can feel like a step in the right direction. It’s okay if your friend doesn’t speak to their parents, and it doesn’t feel good when people assume that’s a bad thing. If you want to express sympathy, just be there for your friends. If you’re anything like me, as I found when writing this piece, there are already plenty of people in your life who have cut off their parents. It’s just not something that we talk about because it’s so taboo, so maybe they just haven’t told you.

—Kate is a sophomore at the University of Arizona. She loves improv comedy and comic books.

*Editor’s note:

Portions of this story were cut for brevity. To read the full piece, go to DailyWildcat.com.

MARY ANN VAGNEROVA | EL INDE ARIZONA WHILE SOME PEOPLE MAY think cutting off a relationship with a parent is a bad thing, others believe that a toxic relationship is toxic no matter what.

HOMESICK

How out-of-state students cope with mental health

BY MAAYAN COHEN @maayanlrc

For many out-of-state students, going to college is their first time living away from the familiarities of their hometown. It is easy to miss the favorite coffee shop on the corner, the familiar curve of the road and, most of all, the friends, family and pets that provide comfort like no other.

Being far from home has its challenges, but these out-of-state students know how to find ways to help the homesickness and tackle mental health struggles.

“For me, it’s the beach that I miss the most,” said Ellie Roth, a University of Arizona junior studying pharmaceutical sciences from San Diego, California.

“You live by the beach your whole life, and you’re like, oh whatever, but then you leave and miss it so much. I really just took it for granted,” Roth said.

It’s not the same as a walk down

the beach, but Roth enjoys walking down Tucson’s Fourth Avenue since it reminds her of walking down Pacific Beach in San Diego, California.

Roth spoke about finding staples that remind someone of their home, like a favorite snack or a playlist. Having these familiar things can ease the homesickness.

Getting involved in UA campus student life activities and meeting new people is another suggestion from outof-state students.

“Freshman year was really rough since I didn’t know anyone, but as time went on, I made Tucson into my own little home and created my community,” said Emily McGowan, a UA junior studying retailing and consumer science from L.A.

McGowan frequently FaceTimes her friends and family back home but doesn’t miss them as much as she used to because of all the friends she now has here.

“I love Tucson as much as home

now because of how involved I am on campus,” McGowan said.

Caleb Fetveit is a UA junior from Lakeside, Montana, studying environmental science. He misses his three dogs, Rocco, Nilla and Penny, as well as Montana nature and his family. However, he copes with these dilemmas by surrounding himself with his college community.

“There’s nothing that can replace the place you’ve grown up your whole life, but shifting your focus from missing things that you can’t have here to the things you can do is very beneficial,” Fetveit said. “Just being with people that make me feel as comfortable as I feel at home, or even more comfortable, honestly.”

He spends free days hiking throughout Tucson, just as he used to in Montana.

Mental health can be a struggle, especially without being home, but there are ways to find the comforts of home right here at the UA.

COURTESY CALEB FETVEIT CALEB FETVEIT HIKING IN the Tucson mountains. He uses hiking to aid in his mental health and combat homesickness.

The University of Arizona offers Counseling and Psychological Services, but is it for everyone?

BY SABINA HERNANDEZ @DailyWildcat

The University of Arizona Campus Health’s Counseling and Psych Services provides mental health resources to students, but the cost and time constraints required to obtain them has dissuaded some students from getting support.

Support from CAPS can include counseling, crisis intervention, assessments and support groups for specific issues. CAPS employs a diverse group of mental health professionals such as licensed psychologists, social workers and counselors who are trained to work in their specialty to provide help to students.

The costs of each session can vary and there is a notable difference between the costs for students with and without insurance. The CAPS program accepts any student who is currently attending the UA, and students who have paid their health and wellness fee are eligible for these services at a cheaper rate.

The costs of an initial visit can be as low as $15; however, this price will increase for any following sessions. There are also additional charges that are associated with specialized services, such as psychiatric consultations or off-campus referrals.

Expense was one of the main issues that students faced when discussing their interests in getting help from the CAPS program. There are ways in which students can get help covering expenses from donors, however, some students felt like this had a lot of funding constraints which caused them to look for help in other locations not affiliated with the university.

In some cases, students may face financial barriers to accessing mental health services, such as high copays or deductibles for counseling sessions. UA Campus Health’s annual Health and Wellness Survey stated that over 30% of students from each racial/ethnic group surveyed did not seek help due to financial barriers even though they required assistance.

Another current issue within the CAPS program is the staffing and resource shortage that they have been facing over the years.

This has resulted in many students experiencing long wait times for appointments. With fewer staff members available in providing counseling and support

services, there is a limited availability of specialized services. Examples of these services include ADHD assessments, sexual violence survivor support and LGBTQIA+ mental health services.

The limited scheduling options available for counseling appointments, such as only being able to choose between a same-day or next-day appointment, may discourage some students from booking an appointment, even if they are interested.

While staff members focus on being attentive to each student who makes an appointment, that leaves the outreach and prevention efforts to be lowered for others who do not know much about CAPS.

This was especially an issue during the COVID-19 pandemic when CAPS and the university as a whole were experiencing many short-staffed areas.

However, the total visits to CAPS during COVID-19 decreased from the usual average of the past years, according to the CAPS 2021-2022 Annual Report. The previous 4-year average was 18,735 visits and this number saw a 6% decrease during the pandemic.

CAPS’ COVID-19 response was to move all their systems online with Zoom sessions and to connect out-of-state students with care within their state. Some students were unaware of this new move, however, and

there were issues with ensuring that students had access to the necessary technology and resources to participate in online counseling.

Yet, even with some challenges that they faced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CAPS 2021-2022 Annual Report, 92% of students felt satisfied with the type of care they had received during their online sessions.

The demand for CAPS help and resources was greatly needed during this time as many students’ mental health was being impacted due to COVID-19. The pandemic caused a widespread disruption of life, leaving many students feeling socially isolated, financially stressed and concerned over their personal health and safety.

During this time, CAPS was providing many mental health support resources online. These resources were things like teaching how to deal with COVID-19 in real time, teaching about COVID-19 anxiety and providing mental health and wellness tools.

“During this time I had graduated and entered college while a global pandemic was happening, which would cause me a lot of anxiety and stress, especially when trying to navigate school on an online platform. I had heard about CAPS and was trying to reach out to them; however I just found it difficult in trying to conduct a counseling session on

Zoom,” said Lyonel Santa Cruz, a sophomore at the university who started school during the pandemic.

During the spring of 2021, CAPS introduced the CAPS Care Pathway Model, which emphasized collaboration between students and counselors. The goal of this new model was to offer a variety of care options for students that went beyond the usual one-onone counseling.

However, this approach was more focused on students with milder concerns.

Matty Ortega, an alumna of the UA, talked about her experience with CAPS and the new model addition.

“The only downside is that [CAPS] was a very beginner experience for me where all we did was talk about what was going on with me and my counselor would give me reassuring words. I would have liked to experience something like this where it is more targeted to help me decrease or better manage my stress,” Ortega said. “It is a great place to start, as I am confident a counselor there would identify where the patient could go next if CAPS doesn’t offer what they need.”

Many students who do know about the program and the resources offered often felt a lack of trust or security within the program.

Faith Johnson, a student representative of CAPS, spoke about this lack of trust and how it can affect treatment.

“It is just a matter of trust. I am African American, so a lot of times when it comes to mental health there is a lot of stigma behind it from a cultural aspect,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of people in CAPS who can’t identify [with] or represent in my community. So a lot of times people would want to have someone that looks like you and understands you from a cultural aspect. Because of the fact that the representation is not there, it can be easy for people to not feel understood.”

With more than half of the students who are using CAPS being white, it is easy to see how some students may feel about accessing these resources. There is an accessibility issue when students are trying to get help as they feel excluded or unable to get help due to these mental health stigmas that some cultures perpetuate, or when they don’t feel properly seen or represented.

However, with more outreach and information about these topics from CAPS, more students can become aware of how to get the help they need.

GRACIE KAYOKO| THE DAILY WILDCAT COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES is on the third floor of the Campus Health Center.

‘A GREAT PLACE TO START’

“What self-care looks like to me,” by Daily Wildcat staff photographers

GALLERY CONTINUED

“Mental health matters”

by Mary Ann Vagnerova