Senior Tal Lee had spent two years as a peer educator for the University Health Center’s HEALTH Works program when she decided last semester her knowledge needed to spread to a new community.
This fall, she is piloting the Greek Health Center Liaison program.
“It’s pretty much a wellness training program for Greek members to become advocates for well-being in their community and gain important skills and learn how to address mental health issues that are pretty prevalent among college students,” said Lee, an individual studies major studying public health and structural inequalities.
Launching the program is her senior project, but by collaborating with the health center and the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life, she said the program should continue even after she graduates.
“I’m hoping to make the program sustainable, because I think it is going to be very impactful to the Greek community and community of Maryland as a whole,” Lee said. “When somebody is struggling with mental health issues, there aren’t necessarily physical signs, so it’s something that’s important to be trained in, to recognize.”
Lee is accepting applications to join the program until Nov. 1, and once she chooses the liaisons, training will begin. Liaisons will attend three seminars throughout November and December and then receive a certificate that can be displayed in their chapter houses, Lee said.
After the initial training semester, they will be liaisons for the rest of their college careers, which will require them to go to two health center-sponsored events each semester, Lee said.
“They will be trained to recognize signs of mental health issues, reach out to community members in a respectful way and direct them to on-campus resources,” Lee said. “They are also raising awareness by attending events.”
Lee said this program is one of the first in the nation’s university system, and the Fraternity and Sorority Life Department has recognized the need to create mental health initiatives aimed at the Greek life community, said Matt Supple, director of the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
“We don’t do anything specifically connected to mental health at the moment, aside from chapters that may do programming in that area,” Supple said. “The number of students coming to the university with mental health needs seems to be growing, and that is clearly reflected within fraternity and sorority life, as it is all other student organizations.”
Lee is not a member of Greek life but chose to start her program there because of the organization and infrastructure already in place. This semester, there will not be a representative from every chapter, Lee said.
“I certainly think we are heading into this pilot program with the hope of being able to develop something that would grow and become something that all of the 56 [chapters] would participate in,” Supple said. “We hope that chapters will see this as a valuable addition to the resources they already provide, and we’d able to identify someone from each chapter to fill that role.”
Lee worked closely with the coordinator of health and wellness at the health center, Sarah Wilson, to bring her project to life.
“I think truly anyone could benefit from this program,” Wilson wrote in an email. “Mental health conditions are no one’s fault and can happen to anyone. 75% of lifetime mental illnesses are diagnosed before the age of 24, so it is particularly important to discuss amongst college students.”
