University of Connecticut Athletics
SAAC Hosting Mental Heath Awareness Week
10/1/2018 5:23:00 PM | Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
by Alyssa Cantisani
Today marks the start of the UConn Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's (SAAC) first ever campus wide participation in mental health awareness week.
Kiera Dalmass, SAAC's president, along with the rest of the executive board have spent their entire off-season planning and waiting to see their hard work pay off. This week is more than a simple initiative for most, if not all, of the student-athletes across UConn's campus.
"We voted recently on what our charity for the year would be," said Dalmass. "Each year we pick a different one and all of our fundraising goes to them. There was an overwhelming amount of votes for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention this year and it's clear to all of us that it is the number one issue and the number one thing we as an organization really need to focus on."
Mental health is something that is affecting students on campuses across the country daily but with the weight that comes with being a student-athlete, SAAC hopes that this week gives those athletes the resources they need to help make it clear that it is okay to not be okay.
"I feel like as student athletes in our own community there is a lot of pressure on us 24/7 to have peak performance and part of that you think you can't have any mental health issues," said Dalmass. "There's nothing ever wrong with you and that's part of our competitive nature trying to be the tough guy and showing no weakness. It's okay to not be okay and it's important to look for help and seek help to do what you need to do to actually be able to do 110%. It's also a way to show that's it's not just Mac Miller or the random girl you went to high school with, everybody is affected by mental health and not only should you feel open and comfortable to discuss it but open to go seek help and recognize the signs of it."
Starting on October 1st, a different event will be held each day during the week.
Green Games will take place throughout the week and into the weekend. Green Games is any athletic competition during the week where UConn's teams and staff will wear green to show their support for mental health. The teams who will be participating include rowing, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, women's tennis, men's and women's cross country and football. They could be wearing either green wristbands, shoe laces, headbands or socks while the football team will have matching green ribbon helmet stickers. All coaches at each event will be wearing a green ribbon.
On Monday and Tuesday on Fairfield Way from 12-2, SAAC will have a spin-the-wheel event where students will spin for a chance to win green water bottles, wristbands, phone pockets, lanyards and ribbons.
For student-athletes specifically, on Wednesday there will be an instruction and open discussion with the counseling and mental health services staff. An hour long presentation on mental health followed by a 30 minute question and answer will take place. Wednesday is also the campus wide day to wear green. Not only are all students across campus encouraged to wear green, the entire athletics staff from compliance to marketing to UConn's coaches will be taking part as well.
On Thursday, October 4th, a yoga night with one of UConn's yoga instructors will be held in one of the basketball facilities and due to limited space, will be open only to student-athletes.
Throughout the entirety of the week, therapy dogs will be making their way through the academic centers located across campus as well.
UConn's chapter of SAAC recently identified mental health as an issue important to student-athletes and the clear stigma that exists and keeps student-athletes from seeking help. This week has been designed to slowly remove that stigma.
"I think that being inundated with all these events throughout the week, there's really no time to breathe and think oh, there's this initiative going on," said Dalmass. "With so much going on I think it'll help normalize mental health. It's supposed to be normal, it's not a taboo topic that we can't discuss and I think having so much going on will help regularize it around campus and hopefully on other campuses as well."
Moving forward, SAAC plans to continue this initiative year after year in hopes to not only help student-athletes but the rest of UConn's campus as well.Â
