THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF PENNSYLVANIA
online at thedp.com
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
“My disease no longer runs my life.
A FIGHT
WORTH FIGHTING See page 5
Recent events have spurred a tremendous amount of discussion surrounding mental health. Countless words have been written and countless more words will be written about the state of mental health services at Penn and the stigma surrounding these issues not just on campus but also across the country.
Many more will address the difficulty of confronting illnesses that we often would like to think ourselves stronger than by sheer force of willpower. Today, we, The Daily Pennsylvanian, wanted to devote some of those words to those of us who have fought mental illness and those who
may still be fighting it. We want to urge any of you who need help to seek it, whether in the form of CAPS, an outside therapist, or a trusted friend or parent. Finally, we — along with many of the people who have shared their stories in this paper today — want you to know that this is a battle that doesn’t have to be fought alone.
“We’ve lost enough young souls. We’re losing the future.”
“In times like this, we have all lost, and we all grieve.”
I am back in control.”
“This year, I realized I had a problem.
And I don’t think I’m alone.” HILLARY BARLOWE is a student from Millburn, N.J. currently on leave. You can email her at hillary.barlowe@gmail. com.
ERICA LIGENZA
RABBI JOSHUA BOLTON
ALEXANDRA MCCABE
is a senior Jewish educator for the Jewish Renaissance Project and Penn Hillel. He can be reached at jbolton@jrp.com.
is a College senior from Bronxville, N.Y. studying economics. You can email her at mccabea@sas.upenn. edu.
is a Wharton sophomore from Reading, Pa. You can email her at erica.ligenza@gmail. com.
When a student dies
As the University begins to heal, The Daily Pennsylvanian looks at how death is handled on campus BY FOLA ONIFADE Staff Writer News travels fast. Via University emails, Facebook posts, tweets and rumors, the whole campus can learn of a student death in a matter of hours. But what is the University’s process of notifying friends, family and community of a student death? The University waits for official confirmation from a medical examiner or a hospital and a police investigation always follows. That begins a protocol, detailed in the Campus Emergency Procedures Manual. There is a collaborative effort between different departments across campus. While each has its own duties during an emergency response, the “boundaries are not so clean, and the lines often get blurry,” Bill Alexander, who directs Counseling and Psychological Services, said. While there are guidelines pertaining to different emergency responses, each situation is handled differently, with the family’s needs in mind.
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Informing the family When a student dies on campus or in the Penn Patrol Zone — which stretches between 30th and 43rd streets and from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue — the University chaplain will notify the family following an official confirmation from a medical examiner or hospital. If a student dies outside the Penn Police Department’s jurisdiction, the responding authorities will normally notify the family. The University provides resources and assistance to the family including travel arrangements and lodging, if they travel to campus. If a student dies at home or elsewhere, the family usually notifies the University. Telling the community After calling the family, the University sends a notification to student communities who are impacted by the death. These communities include the student’s school, college house, clubs or
Greek organization. The notification is also used to inform affected students of the resources available to them. After the recent death of College freshman Madison Holleran, President Gutmann issued a statement. A public statement by Gutmann is not a standard procedure when a student dies. “Given the public nature of this particular death and the unique circumstances, we felt a public statement was warranted,” University spokesperson Stephen MacCarthy said. Whether or not a public statement is made, the President always communicates privately with the family of the student.
Helping the friends Student Intervention Services generates lists of students who are in communities directly affected by the student death. Staff members of both CAPS and the Chaplain’s office reach out to students. In some cases, they have gone to College Houses to help students on the night of a student death. Director of SIS Sharon Smith declined to comment, citing the confidential nature of her work. CAPS takes a stratified ap-
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proach to counseling the student body. They begin with students directly involved in the particular crisis or immediate people who are affected, then reach out to other communities. “We want to play close attention because there will be people whose emotional reaction is fear due to their own histories and events,” Alexander said. CAPS also functions as a consultant or collaborator with larger university offices. Advice is often provided to staff and faculty about the appropriate way to address their students during a recent tragedy. Alexander said there is a fine line between being present and being overbearing that CAPS tries to respect during a tragedy. Most people just need to grieve, but don’t need to be “psychologized,” he said. “[We] try to be aware on the sidelines, but we don’t want to be a ■ central player.”
Look for the 34th Street feature coming this Thursday, Jan. 30, the story of life after death at Penn
Send story ideas to newstip@theDP.com