We are a group of graduate student volunteers who are passionate about improving mental health and wellbeing in our department. In order to best tackle the mental health issues at hand, we focus on specific areas each school year.
For the 2021-2022 school year, we are focusing our efforts in the following areas.
Resources
We are working to provide a concise list of the resources that are available to Woodruff graduate students in times of need and a roadmap for conflict resolution.
Community
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced remote learning and a “new normal,” many of us may have found ourselves more isolated than usual. Oftentimes, the graduate school experience can feel like one of isolation and many students are now far from the family and friends they have known for years. Forming community and support systems is more important today than ever before. We organize events for members of the Woodruff community to meet each other, form new bonds and strengthen existing ones.
Policy
Along with short-term initiatives, we seek to encourage necessary long-term changes within Woodruff that better enable graduate students to improve their mental health and wellbeing. From analyzing available data to proposing policies, we are working with administrators to make the department one that prides itself on emotional and mental wellbeing.
Quals
In Spring 2021, the ME Grad Student Mental Health Committee paired up with MEGA to create care packages for students taking their qualifying exams. We know that quals can be a particularly daunting, lonely and difficult time in graduate school, so these care packages are made to provide resources and encouragement to PhD students in that time.
We are continuously working on adding content to our websites, so please check back for more/updated information.