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Serving James Madison University Since 1922
Vol. 88, No. 6 Tuesday, September 15, 2011
Thunderstorms 80°/ 57° chance of precipitation: 30%
“
It’s not what happens to you ... it’s about how you cope.
”
— Melissa Hopely
COURTESY OF MELISSA HOPELY
Melissa Hopely speaks with students about suicide prevention, her struggles with depression By CAITLIN HAWES contributing writer
During a high school Spanish class, Melissa Hopely, a graduate from Immaculata University in Chester County, Pa., witnessed classmates picking on a cute, chubby, red-headed boy. He laid his head on his desk in submission, but the insults continued. “Just leave him alone,” Hopely said angrily. The students stopped teasing. Years later, the boy sent Hopely a Facebook message. “Thank you,” it read. He had planned to end his life, but Hopely’s actions helped save him. Today, he is getting outside help. Hopely spoke in a crowded Festival ballroom Tuesday to share her story about suicide and the importance of reaching out to those with mental health issues. She works for Minding Your Mind, an organization that works to create dialogue about mental health issues among adolescents. Since she was years old, Hopely has suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition in which people have obsessions that cause anxiety, according to the United States National Library of Medicine.
OCD caused her to walk in and out of doorways, switch on and off light switches, avoid certain stores, do everything in even numbers, stare at objects for hours and avoid wearing white blouses. She was morbidly afraid of not obeying her compulsions. If she didn’t follow through with them, “I thought that I was going to die,” she said. On Sept. , , when Hopely was a freshman in high school, her mother hid all her colored blouses. Faced with only white blouses, tormented, Hopely tried to rectify the situation by putting on the shirt an even number of times. She finally went to school in the dreaded white blouse. When the planes struck the twin towers, she blamed herself. Doctors later diagnosed Hopely with depression, which caused her to lead a “double life.” Externally she was happy, an all-star athlete and yearbook editor. Internally, she hated herself. One day, after a mental breakdown involving her screaming in the car, Hopely considered ending her life. But things turned around thanks to Hopely’s neighbor. “Are you OK?” her neighbor asked, surprising her. The question changed her life. She shared her suicidal feelings with her neighbor, who
told her mother. Hours later, an ambulance took Hopely to a psychiatric hospital, where she saw people just like her. “For the first time I realized I wasn’t alone,” Hopely said. Active Minds is a nationwide organization using the student voice to change the conversation about mental health on college campuses. Jenny Ludwig, a senior and vice president of Active Minds at JMU, said Hopely’s story reaffirmed why she majors in psychology: to help ordinary people with mental illnesses. “It’s not what happens to you guys,” Hopely said, “it’s about how you cope.” The quote inspired Alyssa Dahn, the president of the Active Minds at JMU and a senior psychology major. Dahn, who has mentally ill family members, has severe anxiety. Dahn liked that Hopely “was really relatable and she was young and not all that far-off from college.” Hopely has spoken at more than classrooms, forums and conferences and is writing a “raw” book and a documentary about her life, among other projects. She’s see SPEAKER, page A5
Q&A with Melissa Hopely By CAITLIN HAWES contributing writer
Can you tell me about Active Minds and its mission? Active Minds
was started in by Allison Malmon from [the University of Pennsylvania]. She lost her brother to suicide, and she noticed that there wasn’t a lot of student empowerment with the subject of mental health and suicide prevention ... There was such a stigma. She thought that if we put the power of active minds, the power of being a voice to a student, then it would cause a chain reaction. Now there’s chapters across Canada and the United States.
What are your short-term and your long-term goals with your work? It’s really about pushing myself to
keep on doing this and realize that you can’t settle in life but you still can take chances and you still have to take what comes. My long-term goals, in the [next] two years, I’d like to finish my two books, and I’m working on a doc film. My ultimate goal or dream would be to host a show, like the Ellen show.
What do you want people to take away from your event? I want you
guys to learn your own story, that you are the expert in your own story. You have the power. And they always say, “You’re the future,” but, you know, you’re the present, you’re here now and can make a change now. And I think the biggest thing is that it’s OK to ask for help; it doesn’t mean you’re weak. You really need to support your friends instead of keeping secrets.
You said you had a friend who helped you. What, along with her, are your biggest inspirations?
She’s ; I’m . She’s on the soccer team with me. We go out to lunch and have a normal relationship, but I deep-down credit her. And it’s just amazing to see her and interact with her, to know that this woman who was a child saved my life, and she’s just a caring person. Inspiration comes from those strangers I meet all the time.
>> For the full Q&A, visit breezejmu.org.
PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH
Committee nearly through with recruiting candidates By CAMERON AUSTIN contributing writer
After talking to more than candidates, the Presidential Search Committee has begun the process of narrowing down the application pool. Wednesday’s meeting, held in closed session, marked the first time the committee looked at individual candidates since the search began. The meeting lasted about four hours and university spokesman Don Egle said he couldn’t say if any applicants were ruled out. “We’re very impressed with the quality and quantity of applicants,”
said Joseph Damico, the search committee chair. “We will come up with a great president.” With the help of Greenwood/ Asher and Associates recruitment firm, the committee is still projected to announce their decision by Jan. . “It’s a fluid process with so many great people,” Jan Greenwood said. Greenwood declined to comment on how many applications they reviewed during the meeting, and Damico wouldn’t say how many applicants applied from within JMU. Though the nomination and application deadline was Aug. , according to the presidential search
“If this became a public process, we would have lost one-fourth to onethird of the candidates that we’ve received.” Jan Greenwood Greenwood/Asher and Associates
website, Greenwood said there’s no definite deadline and applications are still being accepted.
“There are still some elements of the recruiting process,” going on, Egle said. Egle said the recruiting stage is nearly through and the committee will soon move into the evaluation stage. This involves interviewing candidates and running background checks. Greenwood said that in order to recruit the highest caliber of candidates, anonymity must remain throughout the whole process. “If this became a public process, we would have lost one-fourth to one-third of the candidates that we’ve received,” Greenwood said.
Never forget 9/11
As the next stage of evaluation begins, the search committee and Greenwood/Asher are in constant communication multiple times a week as the applications are evaluated. “Dr. Rose was kind enough to give us so much time, and we want to find someone we can all be proud of,” Damico said. The committee plans to hold another meeting before the end of the month, but Damico would not give a specific date. CONTACT Cameron Austin at austinco@dukes.jmu.edu.
9/15 INSIDE
In memory of the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, 3,000 American flags dotted the Festival Lawn on Sunday. JMU was one of more than 100 schools nationwide that participated in the “Never Forget” event. The College Republicans put on the Festival event at JMU. The Spirit Rock was also painted with a patriotic message. The flags were on display until yesterday. “This is a way to remind people that it did happen and that it’s still touching many, many people throughout the country,” said Anne Bianchi, vice chair of the College Republicans.
A3
NEWS No butts about it
A6
OPINION 9/11 anniversary thoughts
JMU bucks the trend by keeping cigarettes on campus.
Students share feelings on memorial events years later.
B3
SPORTS Willing and Abel
B5
LIFE Clown college
Natalie Abel has won two Player of the Week awards, and will star in this weekend’s JMU classic.
Two profesional clowns teach theatre majors the basics of humor.
CORY D’ORAZIO / THE BREEZE
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