Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Hosts Mental Health Awareness Week

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NEW ORLEANS – Coming together to shed light on a cause that many times you cannot see.

That was the theme behind the week-long initiatives Tulane's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) conducted Sept. 25-30 to open the discussion on mental health awareness.

From the social media day to kick off the week on Monday to the NAMI Awareness Walk at Aubudon Park on Saturday, Tulane student-athletes joined with the SAAC groups from other American Athletic Conference schools to lead on-campus initiatives to end the stigma surrounding the issue of mental health in college students, specifically college student-athletes.

"Mental health isn't a popular topic. It's not talked about so we didn't know how it was going to go," Tulane SAAC President Kait Simpson said. "But the response we got from our student-athlete body was really exciting and really awesome. It was really great to see everyone come together for this cause."

Highlighting the on-campus initiatives at Tulane, was a #WaveStrong panel on Tuesday, featuring athletics head physician Dr. Gregory Stewart, former Duke University All-American field hockey player Lauren Miller and former New Orleans Saints cornerback Jabari Greer. Participants also watched and discussed a TED Talk titled, "Athletes and Mental Health: The Hidden Opponent."

The panelists opened up about their own experiences and how they have worked to overcome the challenges of redefining themselves away from the fields of play.

"I played 10 years, and it was over in one play," Greer said about his career as an athlete "It was all over, and I didn't know who I was. I lost my identity as an athlete, and I had to find out who I really was. I had to answer, 'Who am I when it's all taken away?' Everyone wants to play forever, but you have to ask, 'Who am I?' You've got to be able to talk to people about these things."

Simpson, a member of the Green Wave's women's swimming & diving team, said the perspectives that Greer, Miller and Dr. Stewart shared really resonated with the nearly 150 Green Wave student-athletes in attendance.

"After we had the panel, I had a former football player message me to say that he was never more proud to be a Tulane student-athlete. That was really nice to hear," Simpson said.

The week's initiatives also included a Mental Health Night tailgate prior to Tulane volleyball's match against Temple on Friday night where student-athletes wore green t-shirts during the match in support of mental health awareness.

Simpson said she was extremely pleased with how the week's activities went, especially the feedback at the conference and national levels, and is encouraged on continuing this conversation SAAC's activities throughout the year.

"What was great was not only were we saying 'end the stigma, start the conversation' but here are things to look for in your teammates," Simpson said. "People know now there are tools in place, there are resources in place and that people care about them. So [we] can start using those resources and being more aware of their teammates. This is a really big issue and take the necessary steps to be safe, rather than sorry."

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Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Hosts Mental Health Awareness Week

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