Today, ABTS, an organization that brings together members from Big Ten student governments three times a year, launched a campaign raising awareness about mental health issues and resources on campuses across the Big Ten.
On issues like mental health, the target of ABTS’ newest campaign, magnitude makes a difference, Lockhart said.
“When you’re taking on an issue this big and this important, it makes it a little more powerful,” Lockhart said. “More people are willing to listen and do what they have to do to take care of these issues.”
The campaign currently consists of a website aggregating mental health resource information for each school, as well as a video set to launch later this week that will feature the Big Ten student body presidents and other prominent people from campuses discussing the overall goals and messages of the campaign.
Jessica Chiang, co-chief of policy for IUSA, has worked on IU’s part of the campaign.
“The main message that they want to convey is that people who may have problems with mental health are not alone,” Chiang said. “Mental health problems are very prevalent not just at IU, but at all the Big Ten schools, and that’s just one of the main reasons that we decided to partner together, because it’s a problem that we’re seeing very commonly across all these campuses.”
IUSA President Anne Tinder said working together as a conference could broaden the platforms on which the video is shared. Though Chiang said she hopes to get in contact with IU communications about sharing the video on social media, Tinder said there is potential for Big Ten-wide exposure.
“As a collaboration of Big Ten students, there’s a potential for things like the Big Ten Network or for our big athletic events to share this video,” Tinder said. “I think there’s more incentive for that kind of sharing to happen when more Big Ten schools are involved.”
Mental health issues were an important component of the current IUSA administration’s platform during the election last year, so Tinder said this campaign fits in with their initiatives.
“We’ve been working with CAPS to improve their marketing and improve their visibility on campus,” Tinder said. “This video that shares information about CAPS and about other mental health services on campus is really valuable and really in-line with our goals.”
Chiang said IUSA is still in the planning phase of the administration’s initiatives, but she said they intend to work closely with Culture of Care with the help of last year’s policy chief Kevin Kuo on mental health issues.
“I think one of the hardest parts is still trying to do away with the stigma that comes with mental health, so I think that will be one of the first steps, alongside logistical improvements such as number of free services offered or number of counselors in the health center,” Chiang said.
The message of the new campaign has a dual meaning, Tinder said.
“I think since the theme for the video is ‘you are not alone,’ it’s nice to see not only are you not alone as an individual, but we are not alone as IU in the Big Ten, and that we have peers all over the country working toward these same goals,” Tinder said.
