Project Grant H79SM086374

MCLA CARES PROJECT, AN INITIATIVE TO BUILD A CAMPUS-WIDE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH - MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS (MCLA) PROPOSES THE MCLA CARES PROJECT, AN INITIATIVE TO BUILD A CAMPUS-WIDE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. THE PROJECT WILL BE COMPREHENSIVE AND CROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS OF CAMPUS LIFE INCLUDING STUDENT LIFE, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, ATHLETICS, AND HEALTH SERVICES. THROUGHOUT THE LIFETIME OF THIS PROJECT, MCLA PLANS TO ENGAGE 600 STUDENTS AND TRAIN 300 STAFF AND FACULTY. MCLA'S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE AN ACCESSIBLE LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION TO STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS WITH IDENTITIES TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN HIGHER EDUCATION. OF THE COLLEGE'S DIVERSE POPULATION, MCLA HAS IDENTIFIED THREE AT-RISK POPULATIONS: FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS, STUDENTS OF COLOR, AND LGBTQIA+ IDENTIFIED STUDENTS. OF MCLA'S 1,076 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, 47% (515 STUDENTS) ARE THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIES TO ATTEND COLLEGE. NEARLY A QUARTER, 23.4%, OF MCLA STUDENTS ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR (IN INTERNAL DOCUMENTS, MCLA USES THE GENERAL TERM "MINORITY"). THOUGH THE COLLEGE DOES NOT TRACK THE POPULATION OF LGBTQIA+ STUDENTS, THERE IS A ROBUST CAMPUS COMMUNITY OF SELF-IDENTIFIED STUDENTS AS DEMONSTRATED BY AN LGBTQIA+ SAFE RESIDENCY FLOOR TO OPEN IN FALL 2022, AND AN ACTIVE RAINBOW ALLIANCE. THE THRUST OF MUCH OF THE GRANT'S PROGRAMMING AND ACTIVITIES WILL BE DIRECTED AT COLLABORATING WITH THESE POPULATIONS TO IDENTIFY THEIR SPECIFIC CHALLENGES AND NEEDS. MCLA IS PLANNING A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH TO ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT DEFICITS ACROSS CAMPUS. ACTIVITIES WILL BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER 2022 BY HIRING A HEALTH PROMOTION COORDINATOR, A NEWLY CREATED POSITION THAT WILL BE THE MAJOR STAFF TO DIRECT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE GRANT. THEIR ROLE WILL INCLUDE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GRANT'S ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS PRODUCING ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMMING. THE FIRST YEAR OF THEIR TIME ON CAMPUS WILL BE SPENT INVESTIGATING THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE CAMPUS THROUGH TWO DATA COLLECTION SURVEYS AND BUILDING A FOUNDATION OF CROSS-SECTOR SUPPORT BY CONVENING AN MCLA TASK FORCE ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH, WHICH WILL MEET MONTHLY THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE GRANTING PERIOD. A KEY COMPONENT OF THIS PROJECT IS THE COLLABORATIVE JOURNEY WITH THE JED FOUNDATION (JED), A PRIVATE FOUNDATION COMMITTED TO ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS. JED WILL CONDUCT A REVIEW OF MCLA'S POLICIES, PROCEDURES, PROGRAMMING, AND RESOURCES. FROM THAT REVIEW, MCLA'S TASK FORCE WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE A DETAILED ACTION PLAN TO BOLSTER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO BETTER SERVE THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF STUDENT POPULATIONS. AS A JED CAMPUS PARTNER, MCLA WILL UTILIZE JED'S COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENTS AS AN EXPERT ADVISOR THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS NEW MENTAL HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE. ADDITIONALLY, GRANT FUNDS WILL CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO TRAINING THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY IN SUICIDE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION. GRANT FUNDS WILL PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR MCLA'S HEALTH SERVICES STAFF, INCLUDING ATTENDANCE AT RELEVANT CONFERENCES, AS WELL AS PRIORITIZING TRAINING FOR STUDENT-FACING STAFF AND FACULTY. THIS GOAL ALSO INCLUDES THE EXPANSION OF THE MCLA WELLNESS AMBASSADORS PROGRAM, A GROUP OF TRAINED PEER HEALTH EDUCATORS THAT PROMOTE HOLISTIC WELLNESS.