The President’s Council on Health and Well-being met on Nov. 16 to discuss the Good Samaritan Provision and the upcoming 100th Winter Carnival.
Dean of Students Dr. Wallace Southerland III addressed the council, remarking that, “we have a mental health crisis not just in our universities, but nationally.”
Whitney Boroski, council chair, led a discussion on Michigan Tech’s Good Samaritan Provision, which is designed to allow students to report unsafe drug or alcohol use. Boroski spoke of the new Good Samaritan text tip line, stating that “it has been super successful.”
Boroski reported that she and campus public safety officer Ryan Wakeham spoke to 140 students about the provision during Greek orientation and expressed a desire to see student confidence in the program grow.
The council reviewed upcoming events for Winter Carnival, with various members speaking in support of a possible mocktail event sometime before it occurs. The Bigfoot Glowshoe event is set to return with Winter Carnival this year, after being dropped last year due to COVID-19.
According to the Student Affairs page, “the council is charged with reviewing programs and education, assessment, policy, and reporting requirements” and enumerates four primary goals. They are as follows:
- Identify drinking trends and language used by the campus community during and after the COVID-19 pandemic through data collection and data review.
- Promote mental health screenings and assessments that are timely and can be accessed by the student community during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Identify and update communication for the campus community that can be used to prevent, educate and respond to alcohol and other drug instances.
- Work with members of the campus community to educate on the Community Conduct Process and provide more clarity to the campus community.
For more information on the Council’s role at Michigan Tech, visit https://mtu.edu/student-affairs/administration/committees/wellness/
