Word: siegelman
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Although many students think of Room 13 as an offshoot of the University Health Services (UHS) psych ward, Burger and her co-coordinator, Gary Siegelman '81, stress that the staffers are not a group of aspiring psychiatrists testing their ability to take apart people's minds. Chosen each spring after a competitive selection process--last year 120 applied for 18 positions--the counselors' interests range from government to biochem. But Burger says, they have one thing in common--the ability "to deal sensitively with all kinds of issues...
...counselors of Room 13 are not professionals, but they maintain a close relationship with UHS and the Bureau of Study Counsel. Each year, according to Siegelman, all the counselors also participate in a series of Freshman Week workshops on issues such as suicide, pregnancy, sexuality and academic problems...
...Siegelman and Burger say that one of their most important functions is to refer students to specific counselors at UHS and the Bureau. Burger explains that they "try to make the transition a little easier for people who want to see counselors there," adding that students feel more comfortable using the more official university services when, for example, they can go to UHS and ask to talk to a counselor who will be sensitive to their particular problem...
...Siegelman echoes the latter problem, pointing out that some students think if you come down to Room 13 it means "you're not in control of your life...
Although Room 13 is not for everyone--one student says she'd be "too embarrassed" to go down to Stoughton basement and reveal her problems to a stranger--every year Room 13 has a few "regulars" who can't seem to get enough of the counseling staff. But Siegelman says the group tries to discourage students who use the service as a substitute friend. "If someone is down here for two or three hours every night we're doing more harm than good...