RPI Student Mental Health & Well-Being
Mental Health Week
The 2023 RPI Mental Health Week program was a phenomenal success, collaborating with dozens of organizations to offer a community-focused effort to fight the stigma associated with mental health. In total there were 96 hours' worth of activities for students throughout the week, being offered by 20 different campus and community organizations.
Scroll to learn more about this wonderful student-led initiative!
A Community Affair
The program's culminating Stronger Than The Stigma fair was a major success, having free food, live music performances, therapy dogs, raffle prizes, and nearly 50 participating organizations! Among the attendees was the university's 19th President, Martin A. Schmidt.
Fun Activities
From painting pots with WMP during the week, to tie dying shirts at the fair, there was plenty for students to do! Many of our sponsors joined in on the fun, with Sigma Chi bringing balloon darts, FIJI hosting lawn games, and Hands of Grace Wellness offering free healing touch therapy services.
Live Music
Live music was performed throughout the Stronger Than The Stigma Fair by student groups associated with the Rensselaer Music Association (RMA). These groups included the Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, Ceili Band, Experimental Music Quartet/Quintet, and the Sax Ensemble.
Free Food
There was free food at the fair donated by Hannaford, and Panera graciously offered us a 50% discount for their catering services! The CCPD (Center for Career & Professional Development) also gave out free sweets during the week, and BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society) hosted a Marshmallow Manifest event that was lots of fun!
Therapy Dogs
What's a Mental Health Week without some furry canine friends? Ellie and Gremlin, both designated therapy dogs, definitely stole the show at our fair!
Mental Health Town Hall
One of the most important aspects of the program was the RPI Mental Health Town Hall, which was entirely student-led by members of Active Minds and SHAC (the Student Health Advisory Council). The reasons for a student-led town hall were to encourage students to take a proactive role in mental health issues on campus and to ensure information was disseminated in a way that was easy for students to understand.
Student Free Skate
Morgan's Message partnered with Active Minds and Student Athletics to host our program's Mental Health Night during the opening season men's hockey game against Union College (where RPI won 2-0). Announcements regarding mental health were made during the game and Morgan's Message setup a table beside the rink with information and resources. There was also a student free skate event immediately following the game!
Read More
Want to read more about the RPI Mental Health Week program? Check out this article written by the program's head student coordinator and published in the Every Day Matters RPI Community Blog!
