Brown and White Vol. 127 no. 19

              The Brown and White
Vol. 127 No. 19
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
‘All the Lehigh News First’
Editor’s Note: The names of stu­dents mentioned in this story have been changed due to the sensitive nature of the content.
Kathy felt like she was giving up when she decided to take a semester off because her crippling depression “reared its ugly head” again. Today, the charismatic international relations major and member of the swing dance club wishes she had sought out profes­sional help earlier.
Blake has been struggling with mental illness and maintaining sobriety since high school. After his stepfather intervened during Blake’s attempted suicide, Blake was involuntarily admitted into hospital supervision. Now, the finance major has deferred job offers from prominent investment banks like Goldman Sachs and has opted for a passion project that involves bringing local farm­ing to Lehigh.
Brett has been struggling with anxiety since high school, an anx­iety that culminated upon enter­ing the social scene at Lehigh. The computer science and busi­ness major was reluctant to admit that he was going against the Lehigh mantra of “work hard, play hard” by going to counseling at the end of his first year. He said he wishes more people were willing to share their anxieties
The business core of South Bethlehem — from Brodhead to Hayes streets, and from Second to Morton streets — now has a task force that monitors and cleans the neighborhood.
The South Side Ambassadors are paid workers who serve three main purposes: monitoring safety, main­taining a clean neighborhood and serving as hospitality personnel for residents and visitors to the area.
From 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day, a team of ambassadors patrols the area, which includes the core area, as well as alternate areas stretching to the flat iron building to the west and SteelStacks and Sands Casino to the east. The
about meeting Lehigh’s academic and social expectations.
A 2013 Lehigh-run analysis revealed that 25 percent of stu­dents reported struggling with significant anxiety, 19 percent with significant depression or other mood-related issues and 14 percent with an adjustment prob­lem.
Ian Birky, director of Lehigh’s counseling and psychological ser­vices, said that a total of 1,018 students used the Counseling Services Center in 2013, an increase of 18 percent from 2012.
That’s approximately one in four.
The American College Counseling Association found that more than one-third of students seeking help have psychological problems that require attention in 2012, up from 16 percent in 2000 in a survey involving 293 counseling centers nationwide.
With the increasing prevalence of mental health issues both on a national level and within Lehigh’s campus, why are more students not talking about it? With so many students struggling under the same incessant pressures of Lehigh, why aren’t there more open dialogues about these anx­ieties?
“It’s the invisible injury,” Kathy said. “Every time I walk down the street, people can’t see that I’m hurting, so it’s been very diffi­cult for me, especially at Lehigh where everyone hits the ground sprinting and I’m not a sprinter.”
In an elite school setting, students fear admitting their personal struggles.
By KELLY MUELLER
Special to the B&W
Mental health issues undiscussed, stigma persists
area.
Employees have been recruited from local residents and specialize in cleanliness or safety but have also received cross-training.
This program is not unique to South Bethlehem. The daily opera­tions are run by Block by Block, a company that has established this program in 67 districts throughout the United States. The company serves cities as local as Easton and as far as Yakima, Washington.
The funding for this project,
workers on this shift primarily focus on cleaning the streets in the morning and serve more in the hospitality role as the day goes on and more people come into the area. A second shift from 3 to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday focuses more on the safety aspect, said Hector Lopez, the supervisor of the South Side Ambassadors.
All workers wear a uniform that includes a bright yellow shirt or jacket so that they are distinguish­able to residents and visitors to the
South Side Ambassadors program monitors, cleans city streets
See AMBASSADOR Page 4
See HEALTH Page 2
which will last for an initial three years with a cost of $810,000, is cov­ered by Lehigh University and the Bethlehem Economic Development Corp., a non-profit organization that is run by city officials. Lehigh contributed a little less than a quarter of the funding.
The program was announced at a press conference held on Sept. 5, where Lehigh interim President Kevin Clayton and Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez reaffirmed both entities’ commitment to the future of South Bethlehem.
This is the second initiative with­in the last month on which the uni­versity and city have collaborated. On Aug. 26, they announced that more cameras would be installed in off-campus areas to help with
By KERRY MALLETT
Visuals Editor
Made with Canva/ Samantha Tomaszewski