Creating a Caring Campus Culture

By Prince Gora

Campus culture is the combination of language, behavior, values, and philosophy or outlook that are part of a college education. It's the "rules," usually unspoken, that college students learn to fit into a college.

It is a powerful source of socialization. Students are socialized through their perception of the institution’s norms, including peer norms, and their habitual participation in routine practices and communal events. 

There has been a recent spike in cases of mental health and suicide among tertiary students in the country. What's interesting to note is that while some institutions have recorded several cases of suicide over the past few years, others have recorded none. Obviously, some institutions are bigger than others, but one can't help but wonder if some institutions are more caring about their student's mental health issues than others. Institutions need to start doing more to safeguard the mental health of students. Below are 7 ways on how this can be done;

1. Teach life skills

Providing life-skills education for incoming students is valuable in teaching healthy ways to cope with the stress of college life especially in the Zimbabwean higher education environment where students sometimes struggle with the basics like food. Among important life skills are managing friendships and relationships, problem-solving, decision-making, identifying and managing emotions, healthy living, and finding life purpose and identity.

2. Promote connectedness

Loneliness and isolation are risk factors for mental health problems and suicidal ideation. Supportive social relationships and feeling connected to the campus community, family, and friends can help lower risk. A good example to follow could be the MindHandHeart initiative used to promote student connections at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. Every semester, the institute hosts Random Acts of Kindness Week (RAK), a weeklong series of events aimed at helping people connect through small acts of kindness. To encourage acts of kindness, MIT libraries provide stationery, postage, and paper so students can write kind notes to other students.

3. Train key leaders

It is crucial to identify students at risk for mental health problems and suicidal behavior and to promote emotional health awareness among select staff such as residence hall staff, academic advisors, faculty, and student leaders. These key people need to recognize and refer students in distress.

4. Encourage students to get help

Students who need help may be reluctant or unsure of how to seek it out. Obstacles to seeking help include lack of awareness of mental health services, skepticism about the effectiveness of treatment, prejudices associated with mental illness, and uncertainty about costs or insurance coverage. Institutions should consider implementing activities or programs on campus designed to increase the likelihood that a student in need will seek help.

5. Provide mental health and substance abuse services

It is essential for universities and colleges to offer accessible, consistent, and high-quality mental health services to students. Programs should be comprehensive and include strong and flexible services, adequate staffing and staff diversity, flexibility in treatment approaches, and clinic hours that reflect student schedules. Institutions' wellness centers must facilitate communication between health and counseling services. The blending of these services will enable institutions to provide comprehensive, holistic care to their students.

6. Follow crisis management procedures

Campuses should have a well-publicized, 24/7 crisis phone line either through campus resources or local/national services. Additionally, there should be a process in place to share information between local hospitals and school health and counseling services. One way to do this is to create a Crisis Text Line (CTL) to provide students with immediate mental health support and to increase help-seeking behavior. Toolkits and web pages must also be developed, shared, and adopted. The toolkits and web pages can provide resources for campus community members to spread awareness and information about CTL. In addition, all student ID cards must include CTL information so that the resources are readily available for students who may be in crisis.

7. Use telehealth services

Virtual mental health services can make a significant impact on college campuses. One such example is TimelyMD which provides immediate emotional support for students dealing with stress. It also has 24/7 care that expands after-hours support, eliminates wait time, and provides support for critical situations.

In conclusion, encouraging students to access mental health services positively reinforces that the student’s ability to participate in the full college experience is valued. Support for emotional well-being must be considered a campus-wide responsibility and prioritized similarly to physical health. Senior leadership must also acknowledge the importance of student mental health and well-being and nurture a shared value across the campus community. 

How college leaders create a caring campus culture will play a critical role in campus success. Creating a caring campus culture is attractive to prospective students and can nurture deeper learning.