The Hamre Center is pleased that The Mac Weekly is striving to keep the Macalester community updated on Hamre Center initiatives related to mental health. There is one important correction to the information published in the 11/16/18 article and a few key points to add to it.

The extended counseling hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are not drop-in counseling hours, as written in the article, but for scheduled appointments. Drop-in appointment times can be found at http://bit.ly/dropincounseling.

Health Promotion is the third component of the Hamre Center for Health & Wellness. Director of Health Promotion, Lisa Broek, Health Promotion Specialist Abbey Sanborn, and Health Promotion student staff are engaged in work that is focused on culture change and community education with a public health approach. Some examples of these initiatives: 90 workshops this fall on sleep in first-year courses, yoga for anxiety, a resilience program that has included gratitude activities this month, physical activity classes and “color me calm” periods in the wellness lounge, just to name a few.

While the mental health task force is an important initiative, we would be remiss to not acknowledge the health-promoting efforts already in place around campus. Here are a few examples: community building, as well as individual support from Residential Life; meditation and mindfulness activities in the CRSL, support and affiliation groups and connections in the Lealtad-Suzuki Center, therapy (SAD) lights, hammocks, massage chair offered by the Library, personal and performance counseling in athletics. There are efforts happening daily across campus, small and large, to address student well-being.

Finally, the 11/16/18 article referenced the special issue produced by The Mac Weekly in April 2018. Interested readers can find a brief information/response piece written at that time by the Hamre Center at http://bit.ly/AnotherLookAtMacWeeklyArticle.

Thank you for the time and energy put forth on this important topic.