New year, new classes, professors, assignments, tests, home, friends, jobs, commitments and changes. The list goes on. Whether one is a new or returning student, the start of another school year can mean all of these things and more, including stress, sadness or discomfort.
App State has many resources to help students get through stressful, sad or lonely times; one resource being a student-run club.
The App State chapter of Active Minds, a club run by co-presidents and roommates Larisa Eichler and Abby Clark, is a mental health awareness club with a mission to “educate and encourage people to talk about mental health because it effects so many people,” according to their page on Engage.
“It’s important to make sure that mental health is becoming a more open conversation on our campus,” Eichler said.
Active Minds holds meetings every other Tuesday from 5- 6 p.m. in room 100 in Plemmons Student Union.
The co-presidents said during meetings they show presentations to educate and bring awareness to certain mental health topics, such as suicide prevention, disordered eating, stress management and more; provide or direct students to mental health resources such as the Counseling Center or off-campus resources; give support to those that need it and more. The club also has brought in guest speakers from the Counseling Center and Collegiate Recovery Community.
“A lot of times mental health clubs can be scary to go to,” said Clark, a senior psychology major. “My ultimate goal, personally, is to make people feel welcomed no matter what background they come from.”
Anyone of any year or major can join Active Minds. The co-presidents shared that one can attend a meeting if they are simply interested in learning more about mental health topics, are searching for resources or just need someone who will listen to what’s going on in their own lives.
“We just have a really open space,” Eichler said. “People can just openly talk about their mental health journeys and it’s really cool.”
Clark said although people do speak about personal matters, “there is no pressure to tell us stuff you are not comfortable with.”
Along with being a space where students can share whatever is on their minds or find resources suited to them, Active Minds has shaped new ideas and changes on App State’s campus, such as the name change for the Wired Scholar and Crossroads smoothie previously named Skippin’ Lunch.
In the 2023 spring semester, Active Minds, in collaboration with App State’s Mental Health Ambassadors, set up a table in the student union to allow students to write in ideas for a new name for the smoothie.
During the two day period in which the table was there, the group offered samples of the smoothie and mental health resources, as well as displayed information about other resources on campus such as food pantries. The group also educated others as to why the name was harmful.
“The smoothie name for the act of skipping a meal can be very activating and it’s harmful to normalize because so many people are impacted by eating disorders and food insecurity,” said Eichler, who also serves as a student Mental Health Ambassador.
The name of the smoothie was changed to Banana-rama. Eichler said she was “overjoyed” about the name change.
“It definitely is a step in the right direction with mental health awareness on campus,” Eichler said. “Our biggest goals as an organization are to bring awareness to more audiences and promote beneficial habits around our community.”
The word active is not in the name for no reason. Active Minds can be seen around campus throughout the year holding and participating in events such as a smash the scale event, an event that brought awareness and destigmatized eating disorders during Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and during the Earth Day Expo.
“It just feels really nice that I was able to help make a difference on campus, like, through Active Minds,” Eichler said.
Eichler said both Active Minds and Mental Health Ambassadors have plans for new things in the upcoming school year.
“I just want to see what else we can do, what else we can bring attention to through the university,” Eichler said.
Clark, who is also a student Mental Health Ambassador, said she wants to do more about mental health language. The duo also said they want to do more events and “just continue to facilitate a safe space on campus,” Eichler said.
Eichler said she also hopes to “tackle” getting mental health days on campus and Clark said she wishes to bring more awareness to other things that “aren’t talked about enough and are kind of taboo.”
“I feel like as a team we can really, we can really do anything and just knock out whatever we want to and, like, put more initiative in and talk about why mental health matters and why it should get more attention on college campuses especially,” Eichler said.
Clark, who joined the club as a freshman, said she is “super grateful” for the organization because it allowed her to find a community and a place where she belonged.
“Active Minds is that for me,” Clark said. “I’m just really grateful that there are resources like this at App State.”
Active Minds will be present at Club Expo, August 20.
Note from the editor:
For those seeking emergency mental health the Counseling Center has an after-hours emergency line for “urgent mental health concerns such as suicidal thoughts, sexual assault, and other trauma,” according to their website.
For the emergency line, one can call 828-262-3180. Press the option to speak with the counselor on-call. For non-emergencies, such as setting up consultations, one can call the center’s number during regular hours of operation– Monday to Friday from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Wellness and Prevention services, also located on the first floor of the Miles Annas Student Services Building, offers preventive materials such as free naloxone and fentanyl test strips.
For other emergency or crisis services, one can visit this link https://counseling.appstate.edu/pagesmith/145.
