* RELEASE COURTESY OF HORIZON LEAGUE *
Indianapolis – The Horizon League, in conjunction with its board of directors, announced this week a historic $550,000 investment in league resources to address mental health issues at each Horizon League institution.
“Our student-athletes are often at higher risk for mental health problems than the average college student. They have to juggle a demanding academic schedule with demanding athletic responsibilities. , they outperform the average college student both in the classroom and at exercise.”
“The Horizon League has chosen to appoint all colleges and universities with league funds to ensure that student-athletes receive top-notch mental health services to ensure they continue to succeed in all their endeavors. I’m proud of what I did.”
“Horizon League SAAC and campus leaders have articulated the need and priority to addressing the mental health needs of student-athletes. It’s the league’s third major initiative: In 2016, we had a student-athlete development forum, and in 2020 we had to move to a virtual video series,” said Horizon League Commissioner Julie Law Luck. “Today, we have secured the financial resources of the league with the full support of the Chancellor and the Chancellor to further our campus commitment to the mental health and holistic development of our student-athletes with this grant program. It’s expanding.”
In June, the Horizon League board of directors approved strategic spending in the area of mental health to distribute league resources to campuses to address mental health issues and concerns.
Enable each campus to identify and address specific mental health issues through discussions with various membership groups such as the Horizon League Council, Student-Athlete Development Cabinet, and Student-Athlete Safety and Health Subcabinet (SASH) A grant program was developed to help student athlete.
“We are excited about the mental health grants being offered to each institution. After our conversations, it became clear that every campus has unique needs and challenges. , it will be possible to deal with them,” said Gen Tim Kew, Athletic Director of Sports Medicine. “We expect this funding to have a positive impact on the well-being of our student-athletes, and we appreciate the support of Commissioner Law Lac, the Board and Council.”
Approved applications provided funding that goes directly to student-athlete counseling sessions. Educational programs and training for student-athletes and staff coaches, including mental health first aid and resilience training. Along with other initiatives, such as providing dedicated spaces for student-athletes to rest and recuperate.
Purdue Fort Wayne grants will be used for topical workshops and training opportunities, as well as building mental health teams. For example, workshops and training sessions focus on strengthening specific areas such as stress management and improving or building other coping skills. Mental health team building exercises allow for a deeper dive into individual team needs. Individual teams and coaches have the opportunity to tailor team building exercises to their needs.
As part of the application process, the institution not only describes how the program or initiative addresses mental health issues on campus, but also includes student-athletes in the grant application development and planning process. I was asked.
“Mental health is such an important issue for today’s student-athletes that the league developed this grant program to include student-athletes as part of the process of determining how to best use the funds on each campus. I am grateful for that,” he said. Horizon League SAAC President and RMU Men’s Soccer Student-Athlete Michael Zolnierczyk. “We look forward to the positive impact this grant will have on Horizon League student-athletes.”
Additionally, campuses were required to submit a sustainability plan to continue providing mental health support to student-athletes after the one-time grant program ended.
Institutions are also required to submit a final review of their mental health programs and initiatives. This includes statements about how the program/initiative is progressing, how goals were met or not met, and what feedback was received. And what worked, or would they do something different.
Information from the review form will be shared with multiple member groups as a way of sharing information across institutions on how to best serve the mental health needs of student-athletes.
~Feel the Rumble~
