Dear Faculty Colleagues,
At Lafayette College and institutions globally, the negative impacts of the pandemic on student mental health are apparent. As we approach the upcoming semester and beyond, it is important to be aware of the resources available at the College to support student well-being.
The Counseling Center offers Kognito, a resource that many faculty and staff have benefited from completing. Kognito helps increase awareness of signs of distress that students may exhibit so that faculty and staff can connect them with resources through the Counseling Center’s on-campus services or Togetherall, a peer mental health support community. Links to Kognito will appear in Lafayette Today during the semester for faculty and staff, and students will be reminded of the Counseling Center’s services via Lafayette Today. These well-being resources also are included on the Student Academic Resources site announced on Tuesday in Lafayette Today.
CITLS also has encouraged the implementation of trauma-informed teaching approaches and social-emotional learning in the classroom. Performing well-being check-ins with the class is one example of such practices. Nationally-recognized expert Mays Imad presented to the Lafayette community on trauma-informed approaches, and the recording is available on the CITLS media site on the “Trauma-Informed Teaching & Well-Being” channel for on-demand viewing.
As mental health can directly impact students’ academic performance, the Office of Advising and Co-curricular Programs remains an important resource for faculty to partner with if students encounter course-related challenges. The office will be communicating about resources to support faculty in these efforts. Please be in touch with this office early in the semester if academic situations arise so it can help students get off to a successful start. Information about the roles of class deans and advisers as well as dean’s excuses are included for students on the Student Academic Resources site.
Thank you for supporting our Lafayette students during these challenging times.
Tracie Addy
Tim Cox
Melissa Garrison
John Meier