Dear Santa Clara Community,

Our community is hurting. I want you to know I’m praying for you, thinking about you, and working with our leaders to create more resources to help our community heal.

Our Ignatian value of cura personalis - “care for the whole person” - is our cornerstone in moments like these. Amidst the tragedies that have unsettled us, we have found more stable footing through caring for each other. I am grateful to our staff who immediately responded to these tragedies. I’m grateful for the vigils of candlelight and incense that have helped ease our heavy hearts. I am grateful for the friends and strangers who have reached out to lighten our grief in ways small and large. And I am grateful to those who are working with us to expand and improve the services that support our community’s health and well-being.

The tragic events of this quarter have understandably triggered many different emotions within our community: shock, sadness, frustration, anger. We hear it in brave stories such as those voiced at today’s student protest. We witnessed it when responding to the tragic events of last Sunday. We feel it when walking through the residence halls and through campus.

Investing in Student Mental Health

Your voices and your feedback have driven very important conversations about mental health in our community, and how we can do better to support and care for one another. To accelerate that work, the University has committed significant financial and human resources that will be put into action as soon as possible. This will be ongoing work that has the full attention of our leaders, and I have asked that we not only be sure we are doing everything we can right now, but we also plan thoughtfully and meaningfully for the longer-term. The feedback we have received from students, faculty, staff, and parents will be instrumental in that regard.

As we continue to work on expanding available resources, we want to remind you of what support is currently in place. That includes:

Mental and Behavioral Health Resources:

• Staff and members of the Jesuit community will continue to be present in Swig, Dunne, and McLaughlin/Walsh to provide support to residents after 7:30 pm tonight and throughout next week.
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Located in the Cowell Center, CAPS is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crisis drop-in hours are available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• 24/7 Mental Health Counseling: SCU’s 24/7 mental health counseling line is available to all students. Please call 408-554-5220. Students can access licensed clinicians between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. nights, weekends in all 50 states and abroad. Students can also receive personal assistance in care management and referral assistance. Our treatment partner offers a broad network of providers which allows access to counselors via telehealth or face-to-face community visits, when available. Five free visits are offered to all students.
• Living with Loss: Finding our Way Together, free panel discussions on grief and loss especially for our community, on Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 from the School of Education and Counseling Psychology.

Academic Leniency and Support for Students:

• All undergraduates, regardless of class standing, may select a pass/no pass option for any undergraduate course for fall quarter 2021. The pass/no pass grading option is permitted for all core, major, minor, elective, and prerequisite courses. To learn more about what selecting this option means for you, please click here. The deadline for selecting pass/no pass has been extended until this Sunday, December 5, at 11:59 p.m.
• The University has extended the last day to withdraw from classes until Friday, December 3, at 11:59 p.m.
• Faculty are encouraged and empowered to offer additional flexibility to students who are struggling with loss and grief. The approaches will vary by course and personal situations, but our faculty are united in their care and compassion in this moment and always. The Provost’s Office will also be in consultation with faculty about what other specific measures may be appropriate for the start of the next quarter.

Community Resources:

• If you are ever concerned about someone—a student, a colleague, a friend—do not wait to get help. If it is a true emergency, call 911 or Campus Security at 408-554-4444.
• To learn more about how to support someone who might be struggling, please seek out the many resources at SCU Care.
• If you think someone needs additional support, do not hesitate to report a concern for an additional level of intervention.

As the quarter comes to a close, we wish every member of the SCU family peace and space to heal and hope. We are with you. 

 

Lisa A. Kloppenberg
Acting President