SCU JED Highlights

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JED Campus is an initiative of The Jed Foundation, a national nonprofit that exists to protect the emotional health of our country’s 40 million high school and college students and reduce the risks of substance abuse and suicide. To learn more visit www.jedcampus.org.

 

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• The Cowell Center continues to operate under a hybrid model of care —a combination of both virtual (telehealth and telepsychology) and in-office psychological and medical care.
• New programs and presentations have been developed during the pandemic to respond to a range of emerging issues: Anxiety Workshop, COVID-19 & Carbs: intuitive eating, Eco-Anxiety experiential workshop, Trauma Informed Yoga, and Self-Care bootcamp.
• Students in the EMT program have participated in additional mental health training (including de-escalation, mindfulness, and cross-cultural sensitivity training) to prepare for their important role once students return to campus.
• The JED Campus Post Assessment was submitted to our JED liaison on September 20, 2021. We expect the evaluators final report later in the term.
• Santa Clara University has secured funding to introduce Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) to the campus beginning in the fall. Campus outreach to solicit certified MHFA instructors resulted in an overwhelming response, with over 50 faculty and staff expressing interest in becoming certified instructors. Instructors will complete a rigorous (34-hour) virtual MHFA Adult certification program to then be able to facilitate the 8-hour training sessions for various groups on campus.
• The accreditation visit from the International Accreditation of Counseling Services (IACS) is planned for early November 2021

 

• The Cowell Center is operating under a hybrid model of care —a combination of both virtual (telehealth) and in-office psychological, psychiatric, and medical care. Medical, counseling and psychiatry appointments are conducted via Zoom or over the phone. New patients can be seen for medical concerns, medical illnesses can be assessed, and prescriptions can be written via or over the phone. New clients seeking mental health care will first be given a triage appointment via Zoom.
• The Office of Student Life, in collaboration with partners in the Cowell Center, Residence Life, and Campus Safety, are available to support students who are struggling with mental health and other welfare issues. Faculty and Staff who become aware of a student struggling with personal or emotional difficulties or may be exhibiting concerning behavior, are encouraged to file a “Student of Concern” report. An Office of Student Life staff member will reach out to the student within 24 business hours to offer support and help coordinate resources local to them.
• Food Insecurity: To ensure that all members of our Bronco family have sufficient food to stay healthy in these uncertain times, we have expanded access to the Bronco Pantry. Since the shift to virtual learning on March 10, 107 additional students have requested access to the Pantry, bringing total access to 162 for spring term.
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) continues to support students through individual therapy through telepsychology. At present, CAPS has permission to work with students in the following states: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Illinois (*existing clients only), Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Texas. The Director continues to seek permissions from other states to treat our students.
  
  

• SCU JED Campus Program enters its third year of the four year initiative.
• Philanthropic support from parents allows extending FREE fitness classes for students for
  another year.
• The CURA Residential Learning Community opened in the Fall with a well-being theme
• Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training was added to the Being a Bronco series - 1,529
  first-year students and transfer students completed QPR training in the fall.
• Cowell staff trained over 200 Lead Scholars on how to "Succeed in College: Transitioning
  from High School to College".
• Members of the JED Committee have engaged Faculty Development to enhance faculty
  engagement with JED initiatives.
• Construction site safety was reviewed at two sites: Sobrato Campus for Discovery and
  Innovation and the Athletic Excellence Center.
• Break away closet and shower rods were installed in Finn Residence Hall, with a plan to
  retrofit remaining campus residences.
• All data from the first Mental Health Survey was analyzed. Survey results will be shared
  with campus in the Winter quarter.
• Instagram stories surrounding #endthestigma #scucares #scujed were shared throughout
  the fall quarter.
• Emoji slides with mental health messages will continue throughout the JED campaign.
• Associated Student Government (ASG), the Office of Student Life and the Wellness Center
  are partnering with student leaders to expand educational offerings to students in
  fraternities and sororities. In the fall, a quarterly summit focused on Alcohol & Other Drug
  Use was presented.
• Cowell Center Student Ambassadors (CCSA) held a very successful Mental Health Day in
  November, with the goal of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health care.
• Campus Ministry is collaborating with the Wellness Center to hold “mindfulness” events in
  the Multifaith Sanctuary. Events include Mindfulness meditation, Zen Sitting meditation,
  sleep hygiene and candlelight yoga.

• The September on-line JED Campus Newsletter featured Professor Chan Thai’s integration of student coursework with SCU’s campus-wide communications to promote wellness through strategic educational campaigns.
• SCU co-presented a webinar with JED on December 5 sponsored by the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA). The title of the presentation was The Mental Health Crisis:  Focus on Suicide.
• In the fall, Residence Life modified their programming model to incorporate intentional interactions between student staff members and their residents. These interactions provide for an early intervention opportunity should students be struggling. Student staff members have been trained to offer referrals to other campus departments and have access to multiple resources to share with residents. During the fall quarter, a total of 2,595 unique conversations took place in the residence halls.  The top five topics discussed with residents were 1) Involvement on campus 2) Stress Management 3) Academic Resources/Referrals 4) Self-Care and 5) Career and major. 
• Over 1,300 students, faculty and staff are trained as QPR gatekeepers.  Of the 1,300 QPR gatekeepers on campus, 279 of them were trained between January and June 2019.  Recent training included Club Sports coaches, members of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the 2019 Orientation Leaders. 
• The Cowell Center secured the services of a psychiatrist for two days per week through June.  Efforts continue to recruit for a full-time psychiatrist.
• Five support groups were active in CAPS:  Understanding Yourself & Others; Mindfulness; Women of Color; Difficult Families; Community Facilitators Support Group.
• Efforts to support a growing number of first generation students began and is currently underway.  The Cowell Center hosted 8 LEAD Scholar sessions in the Cowell Center which allowed every LEAD Scholar to be personally introduced to the services of CAPS.
• Faculty in Engineering and Public Health began working with Cowell and several Senior Design students to develop a mental-health related mobile app for SCU. The mobile app, Understanding Feelings Effectively and Enhancing Life or “UFEEL” is for Santa Clara University students and designed to break the social stigma around mental health.  The app has been combined with the Cowell Center resources and research from other mental health professionals to provide better mental health assistance to students.
• Applied for and qualified for the State of California free Naloxone Distribution Project.  Since most of the SCU EMS and CSS officers have been trained in the use of Narcan, SCU was approved for 5 cases or 60 units of Narcan.
• After examination, SCU was not found to be an appropriate location for a medication collection bin as collection bins can only be placed in law enforcement agencies or licensed pharmacies. The university is eligible for a drop off/mail back program implemented through the Santa Clara Safe Drug Disposal Program operated by MED-Project.   
• The inaugural Mental Health Survey was administered in the fall with over 1,400 students completing the survey.  Survey analysis will be completed this summer by Dr. Chan Thai, a faculty member in Communications and member of the JED Campus Program Committee.

• The JED Campus Steering Committee expanded to 20 members, including four students.  The president of the Active Minds student organization, and a member of the Greek community are two of the new representatives.
• Hosted a table at the fall Staff Faire to distribute information to the campus about the JED initiative and encourage QPR sign-ups.
• The September JED Campus Spotlight featured Chan Thai’s integration of student coursework with SCU’s campus-wide communications to promote wellness through strategic educational campaigns.
• Scheduled 18 QPR sessions for 2018-19. To date, we have trained approximately 1,100 students, faculty and staff in QPR Gatekeeper Training.  QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.  QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world and just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives.
• Philanthropic support from parents, to support mental health initiatives, has increased to $130k.
• $40,000 of the gift funds were allocated to Campus Recreation to allow all students to participate in fitness classes at the Malley Center at no cost. To date, over 720 free fitness passes have been distributed. An assessment will be sent to all 720 students at the end of the quarter to gauge the degree to which having access to free fitness classes improves mental health.
• $30,000 of the gift funds were allocated to the Cowell Center to start a Cowell Center Student Ambassador program.  The program will consist of students working to raise conscious awareness around medical and mental health concerns while working to reduce the mental health stigma and increase help-seeking behaviors.  To date, nine students have applied and applications are currently being reviewed.
• After a tremendous response from students, faculty and staff for input, Cura RLC was identified as the 9th RLC, to be housed in Finn Hall.  Cura will have a focus on well-being: Residents of the Cura RLC will construct their communal life around the theme of well-being, inherent in the Jesuit value of cura personalis (care for the whole person). Students will take advantage of Silicon Valley’s spirit of innovation, personal discovery, and adventure, while also immersing themselves in that which promotes well-being in the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense. Developing a deep awareness of self and the lifelong habits will allow students to thrive in college and beyond will be the central focus of the Cura RLC.    
• Residence Life modified their programming model to add a requirement for intentional interactions where each student staff member is responsible for meeting with each of their residents and will be responsible for tracking the conversation date and topics covered each term. This interaction will provide an opportunity for creating a baseline and offer an early intervention opportunity should students be struggling. Residence Life staff has been trained to offer referrals to other campus departments and has multiple resources to share. Topics discussed can be open to the individual to share, but will also be tracked using JED's various life-skills categories (example topics include sleep, nutrition, academic challenges, time management, emotional well-being, relationships, communication skills, etc).
• Installed break-away shower rods in Sobrato B (back building) during a summer renovation.  Break-away closet rods will be installed in Finn Hall.
• An emoji-themed communication plan was launched on campus and through social media.
• The first mental-health survey since SCU became a JED campus was launched, with over 1,400 completed surveys completed.  The result will be analyzed in Winter quarter and then shared with the campus.
• Finalized protocol and trained CSS and EMTs on the use of Naloxone.
• Applied for and qualified for the State of California free Naloxone Distribution Project.  Since most of the SCU EMS and CSS officers have been trained in the use of Narcan, SCU was approved for 5 cases or 60 units of Narcan.
• Advertised the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and how students can dispose of prescription drugs.  The future goal is to have a drug collection location on campus.
• Appointed AOD Working Group to prepare an Implementation Report due in February 2019.
• Faculty in Engineering (Silvia Figueira) and Public Health (Michele Parker) are working with Cowell and several Senior Design students to develop a mental-health related mobile app for SCU. Chan Thai will consult on this project using the findings from student Mental Health survey.
• SCU is co-presenting a webinar with JED on December 5 for the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA) The title of the presentation is The Mental Health Crisis:  Focus on Suicide.
• The first required JED Annual Survey was completed and submitted on November 29.

• Launched JED website
• Developed campus-wide communications to faculty and staff and students announcing the JED initiative
• Revised University website links to connect directly to the Crisis Services page
• Established gift fund to support mental health initiatives (~$40k in donations to date)
• Trained 26 QPR instructors to offer Gatekeeper Training on 2/3/18 and trained an additional 16 QPR instructors to offer Gatekeeper Training on 7/16/18
• Trained over 900 students, faculty and staff in QPR Gatekeeper Training as of 6/15/18
• Provided QPR training to students, faculty and staff at SCU’s Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley
• Developed a comprehensive assessment plan for the overall JED project
• Completed an Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Plan that was endorsed by the President’s Cabinet and Trustee Student Life and Athletics Committee
• Expanded JED Campus Program Committee to include a representative from Greek Life and ASG
• Identified annual comprehensive campus programming strategy for implementation in 2018-19
• Initiated the renovation of the Benson Memorial Center that will increase lounge space for students
• Renegotiated the tuition insurance coverage to increase benefits from 100/50 physical and mental health concerns coverage, respectively to 80/80 coverage of the same.  
• Completed 1st annual campus environmental scan to restrict access to potentially lethal means.
• Completed plans to have break-away closet rods installed in a new residence hall, Finn Residence Hall, scheduled to open Fall 2019.
• Installed stairwell barriers on the West side exterior stairwells in Swig Residence Hall
• Revised Death of a Student Protocol to be consistent with the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) guidelines.
• Dr. Chan Thai developed 2 courses designed to teach students how to develop a strategic campaign plan, implement the campaign, and evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign that align with these key issues outlined in our JED Campus Action Plan.
• Registered to administer the Healthy Minds Study every other academic year.  
• The Becoming a Bronco Series (a sequence of different programs offered only to FIrst Years over a brief period of time to enhance their knowledge and awareness of different mental health issues/concerns) was expanded to include a pilot First Year Seminar Course beginning Fall 2018.