To: All Students

From: Melissa Van Der Wall, VP for Student Well-Being and Dean of Students & Megan Johnston, Health Educator

Date: February 1, 2024

Dear Student,

Promoting student well-being is our top priority at Ramapo College. We anticipate that your student experience will be a positive one; however, we recognize that everyone goes through stressful times. According to the Jed Foundation, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. In Spring 2022, the American College Health Association (ACHA) found that 75% of U.S. College students are experiencing moderate or more serious psychological distress and 32.5% of college students have considered suicide in the past year. Ramapo students participated in this survey, and our institutional data showed similar rates of distress and suicidal thoughts in our student population. You are not alone if you feel this way. We must also think carefully about how race, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexuality, economic status, and first-generation college status can lead to disproportionate mental health challenges for students, especially those with multiple marginalized identities. College student mental health is a crisis. If you are struggling, we are here for you.

Despite the reality of psychological distress in many college students, we know that Roadrunners look out for each other. The Mental Well-Being for Students Impact Report from 2022-2023 revealed that 95% of Roadrunners believe that they can make a difference in the mental health of others. You all CAN have an impact.  We see the impact of student-to-student support in our tight-knit community every day. We encourage you to read this letter, not just for yourself, but so you will be prepared to help someone.

Supporting the Well-Being of Students

Mental Health Support: Free, confidential mental health counseling and crisis intervention services are available through Counseling Services.  The contact phone number to schedule an appointment is 201-684-7522.  Counseling Services is located in D-216.

If you or someone you know is in a crisis situation and having thoughts of death, dying, or suicide, emergency appointments are available in Counseling Services by calling 201-684-7522, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all psychological emergencies, including thoughts of suicide, by calling 201-684-7522 and following the prompts. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 988.

In Counseling Services, drop-in consultations are offered Monday through Friday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm (last student seen at 2:40pm). Students are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Elena Yee (Psychological Counselor and LGBTQIA+ Liaison) hosts drop in hours on Wednesdays from 2:00pm to 3:00pm  in C-217 (across from the Women’s Center). The purpose of these brief, drop-in hours are to assist students with concerns such as:

• You have a specific problem and would like to talk it through with someone

• You are not sure if you want to start ongoing therapy

• You are looking for another perspective on something you are going through

Taking Kind and Supportive Action: At the start of each semester, faculty and staff receive communication from me to help them recognize the warning signs of when a student is in distress and how to quickly offer support.  We believe that a kind, compassionate, and quick approach to helping students will greatly help us address student concerns.  Bystander intervention underscores how we value caring for one another.  Just like you might hold the door open for someone or pick up a pen they have dropped, we want our entire community to hold the door open and help each other move through the doorway toward support and be responsible for helping each other.

Mental Health Initiatives Here to Help You

We are concerned by the sobering statistics around college student mental health conditions and, in addition to the above mentioned resources, want you to know what we are doing about it.

• Counseling Services has a Multicultural Counselor, who is bilingual and speaks Spanish, a First-Generation Counselor, an LGBTQIA+ Counselor, and a Health Promotions Specialist

• The College added ‘Welcome to Wellness” to all First Year Seminar Courses as another mechanism to expose students to ways to understand themselves and to persevere toward their own betterment

• UWill: Free telehealth counseling designed to expand the mental health counseling options at Ramapo. UWill includes free, immediate access to teletherapy and wellness programming through its easy to use online platform. UWill is made possible through funding from the State of New Jersey

• The Roadrunner Collegiate Recovery Program is available to provide a supportive community for students curious about or in recovery from a substance use disorder(s). It follows a harm reduction model and is designed to reinforce the personal dignity and worth of each student

• TogetherAll: A free, anonymous peer support platform. It is designed as a safe space for students to share feelings, to give or get support, or for personal growth

• Wellness Room: The Wellness Room is located in E-216 and  provides mental, spiritual, and emotional support resources for students. The room has a massage chair, relaxation activities, yoga mats, a light therapy lamp and much more. Make your reservation here

• The College added a Wellness Initiative representing intervention, support, and resources for all EOF Scholars to attend as part of the summer program

• A Case Manager in Counseling Services. The Case Manager helps students, who might be in need of long-term care solutions, identify local area providers for treatment

• Health Services appointments include depression screening and a “soft-hand-off” to a Counseling Services professional should a student need further support

• For qualifying students registered with the Office of Specialized Services, the Attendance Modification Policy includes permitted class absences in order for a student to participate in mental health or other appointments related to their well-being

Other Crisis Resources

• Suicide & Crisis Hotline: Call or text 988 (24/7/365)  to access a trained crisis counselor if you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. 988 is confidential and free. Confidentiality is limited in instances where a caller is a danger to themselves or others. You can still reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

• Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741

• The Trevor Lifeline; call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678 for suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning young people under 25 years old

• Trans Lifeline Peer Support Hotline, 1-877-565-8860

• RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline (24/7/365): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

• healingSPACE – 1-201-487-2227; sexual violence crisis intervention hotline (say that you are a Ramapo student.)

• Veterans Crisis Line for thoughts of suicide or mental health suppport (24/7/365): Call 988 Press 1

• SAMHSA National Helpline for confidential free help, from public health agencies, to find substance use treatment and information: 1-800-662-4357

• Bergen County Addiction Support Hotline (24/7/365) – Call or text 201-589-2976 to connect with a Peer Recovery specialist for yourself or a love one

Training

You can contribute to Ramapo’s connected, caring community by participating in Counseling Service’s Ask, Listen, Refer training. The brief, 20-minute online training is designed to give you the important knowledge of recognizing the warning signs of suicide, as well as how to respond and get help for people at risk. We received our Certificate of Completion and hope that you will join us in learning more about how we can support each other.

Counseling Services can facilitate suicide prevention training, known as Campus Connect, for student clubs or organizations.  Campus Connect is a free, 3-hour long training that provides gatekeepers with information and strategies to help prevent suicide, and refer students to campus and community resources. To request training, please contact Dr. Judy Green at jgreen2@ramapo.edu for more information. Other Counseling Services workshops can be requested on the Health Promotion website.

If you are a student club or group on campus, there are certified student peer educators who can teach your members vital strategies to promote mental and emotional health. If you would like the Wellness is Now (W.I.N.) Peer Educators to facilitate a drop-in workshop or co-sponsor a campus event with your organization, please email studentwellness@ramapo.edu or complete the request form on the Health Promotion webpage. You can also learn how to apply to be a W.I.N. peer educator here.

Programs and Events

Please follow @rcnjwellness to stay current with mental health and well-being information and programs from Counseling Services and W.I.N.

• Therapy Animal Visits from Creature Comfort Pet Therapy. You can learn more about the therapy animal visits here.

• Wednesday, Feb. 7th from 1pm to 2:30pm in Friend’s Hall – Collective Pathways to Recovery – The Roadrunner Collegiate Recovery Program is hosting a recovery panel of professionals and students

• Monday, March 11th from 1pm-5pm – The Black Poster Project and Panel – The program consists of a display about overdoses and a panel is occurring from 3pm-4pm

• Mindfulness Meditations – Join Professor Carol Bowman in the Wellness Room (E-216) for a 30-minute mindfulness meditation on Thursdays at 2 pm (starting February 15th)

• Tee Shirts and Togetherall  – Find the Wellness Is Now Peer Educators around campus this semester to learn more about Togetherall and screen print a wellness tee-shirt.

• Plan to attend the Wellness Fair on May 1st. Watch the Daily Digest and In the Loop for information on how to register your club/organization to table at the fair.

Behavioral Intervention Team

If you are concerned about another student and not sure how to assist and the student is not in immediate danger, you can share your concerns with Ramapo College’s Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT). The team coordinates the support services of Ramapo College in order to assist students who have reportedly displayed concerning behaviors.

Additional Ways to Care for Yourself

• Counseling Services offers a free, anonymous mental health screening to help you identify any areas of distress that could be impacting your ability to function at your best

• Counseling Services has also compiled resource lists to support mental well-being, healing, and empowerment among Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, and First Generation college students and their allies

• The Ramapo College fitness center includes the Bradley Center, Recreation Lounge, Adele and Reuben Thomas Swimming Pool, Sharp Fitness Center, and the Auxiliary Gym.

• Students struggling with food insecurity may access the Food Pantry located in ASB 130 and a variety of satellite locations available in several office areas. There is also a weekly fresh food initiative. The full program of services and support available under the Center for Student Involvement’s We Care Program are found here.

Building a support system and becoming involved in the community is another great way to care for your social well-being. You can explore many student clubs and organizations to find your community through the Center for Student Involvement.

In closing, we wish you a healthy and positive semester.  You belong here, you matter, and you are worth it.  If you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Well-Being Core at 201-684-7457.