A letter from February 7th, 2014 - recent deaths on campus

Dear FutureMe, Since the beginning of winter break, there have been four student deaths at Penn, half of which were suicides that took place within a span of three weeks. Even one death is one too many, and the fact that we've witnessed four in just under two months is astounding. In response to the suicides of Maddy Holleran and Elvis Hatcher, University resources have come under fire as students and parents are thoroughly examining the administration's emphasis on mental health at Penn. House deans, CAPS, and other university officials are attempting to raise awareness to mental health by promoting Penn's resources and encouraging students to engage in open dialogue. Though students have been frustrated with the way the University has dealt with student deaths in the past, the University is now looking to change the way they approach this matter. Even in the wake of such tragedies, it's great that students are now trying to change the stigma associated with mental health. Students have not been afraid to voice their opinions, and it seems as though many are criticizing the University for not offering enough support to students struggling with mental health. While the advocacy for such a support system is admirable, there are still two key problems with this plan. Firstly, though the University may be expanding CAPS and aiming to provide students with sufficient resources, Penn is truly only treating the symptoms and not the actual cause of declining mental health among students. Talking with a therapist might be a temporary relief from day to day stress, but it doesn't actually address the main issue which all students face: Penn's culture. We attend a school that takes great pride in its academic standing, history, and social recognition. The Penn name carries great weight as an Ivy League university in which students excel and thrive. Here lies the problem though. The Penn culture is one which is self-perpetuated by students. The cut-throat and competitive nature that students feel in classrooms, during club meetings, and even on the social scene definitely induces stress among all students. Penn students seek to get ahead and often seem to focus more on networking with people who can get them to the next level instead of forming deep, personal relationships with a smaller group of people. At a school with 5,000 undergraduate students and 5,000 graduate students, it's surprisingly easy to feel lonely. The atmosphere is toxic in that it's every man for himself. No one really cares about anyone else, and it seems that the main goal for people is to get ahead and succeed. Secondly, by critiquing to Amy Gutmann, University admin, and CAPS, we're also deflecting attention away from ourselves, whether or not we realize it. Negative mental health affects so many students here because no one takes the time to listen to others. By putting pressure on external resources, we also admit that we have failed to provide that same support we expect to those closest to us. Everyone focuses on themselves, talks about themselves, thinks about themselves, and only views the world in the context of how it relates to themselves. Who actually takes the time to ask about someone else's day, someone else's upcoming midterm, or someone else's feelings when something huge has happened? As basic, functional human beings who have been accepted into such a prestigious school, it's a shame that students lack these basic forms of communication. True friends should be asking each other more questions and lending a hand instead of expecting a foreign face behind a desk at CAPS to do that work instead. We need to pick up the slack and be there for one another because in the end, if we can't support each other, then who will? I've grown increasingly frustrated since returning to Penn for the Spring semester by watching how both the student body and the admin have reacted to the recent deaths in our community. Everyone is passive. Sending an email about available resources, changing one's profile picture to an unflattering self portrait, and posting positive statuses are all passive. Instead, go out and actually talk to someone. Be there for someone. Listen to someone. Offer to help someone. Because by playing your role and selling out on social media to pretend to show your support, you're not doing anything to help the cause in actuality. Be the change you want to see in the world, or at least at Penn. Take a step out of your head and your problems and your classes to realize that there are bigger things happening around you. Go for quality over quantity when looking for friends, and don't enter a relationship with the plans to use it as a means to get to the next point. I'm tired of not feeling able to breathe when I walk down Locust, and I contribute this feeling of suffocation to Penn's toxic atmosphere. I hope that in a year when you read this, you'll have played your part in trying to make Penn a better place. I know you can't accomplish this on your own, but I at least hope that you've held onto good friends and let go of the bad ones. Your time left here is limited, so instead of brooding about the bad situation in which you're currently resided, stand up and do something to fix it. I believe that you have the capacity to spark a fire and initiate great change. Go out and do good.