Word: fdo
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...proctor group. But there is no guarantee that a Freshman Wellness Representative will understand the importance of introducing their fellow first-years to peer counselors on campus or that the members of a proctor group will come if an outreach is organized. By making these outreaches optional, the FDO belittles the important role peer counseling groups can play on campus...
...fall of 2000, received outreaches from eight groups—the five peer counseling groups and three peer education organizations. The following fall, each entryway had two mandatory outreaches. A year later, first-years had just one meeting. And now, the Freshman Dean’s Office (FDO) has eliminated all mandatory outreaches by peer counseling groups. This decision does a disservice to first-years and limits the effectiveness of available mental health resources...
...FDO decided to redesign the first-year introduction to mental health services after peer counseling outreaches “attracted increasingly poor attendance and reviews in the past decade,” Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans wrote in an e-mail. Instead, the FDO has “attempted to respond to students’ expressed wishes with a broader range of programs and services which are designed at the start of the year to provide crucial information about resources, and then to address group or individual needs as directly and as promptly...
...larger revision of Freshman Week mental health information sessions shows that the College has recognized the importance of addressing mental health issues on campus. But by not taking advantage of the existing peer counseling groups, the FDO is missing an important opportunity to put a human face on one of the many services available. Harvard students have a tendency to avoid asking for help at all costs; when first-years do need help, they will only think of peer counseling groups if they have been exposed to them. Without mandatory outreaches, the groups do not get much direct face time...
Past outreaches certainly left some room for improvement, but just because students gave an event a lukewarm review is no reason to eliminate it entirely. The FDO should have worked with the groups rather than around them. Improving the quality of outreaches requires a coordinated effort of peer groups, other campus mental health resources and the FDO. Together they should reintroduce an improved mandatory peer counseling outreach for first-years at the start of the coming spring semester or for the class of 2008 next fall...