Steering Committee

The founding members of the Mental Health Coalition now serve as a steering committee, ensuring the forward motion of initiatives, handling administrative tasks, and chairing the subcommittee. 

Chetan Joshi, Counseling Center

Allison Asarch, Counseling Center

Leslie Krafft, Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Mary Kate Crawford, University Recreation & Wellness

Sarah Wilson, University Health Center

Mariya Ahmed, Mental Health Coalition student intern

Membership

Members of the Mental Health Coalition joined together based on a common interest and passion for campus mental wellbeing. We are composed of students, staff and faculty with representation from UMD departments and organizations with a particular stake in improving the culture of mental health on campus. Our group is open to new members and seeks members who are committed to actively participating in the group. New members should be aware that this is an action-oriented group that involves engagement in the development, planning, and implementation of campus-wide initiatives and programs.

Departments and student organizations represented on the Mental Health Coalition commit to sending a representative to meetings twice per month. That representative takes information back to their groups from these meetings and engages their larger department or organization around mental health. 

Meetings

General Body Meetings for the Mental Health Coalition take place at the University Health Center once per month on Wednesdays. 

Action GBMs take place via Zoom once per month on Wednesdays. 

Action

The Mental Health Coalition actively attends to the mental wellbeing of the campus community through three different mechanisms: 

• Communication (Mariya & Allison) - engaging the campus community in mental health-oriented messaging

• Programming (Mary Kate & Leslie) - implementing large-scale inclusive programs to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and wellness and engage the campus in practicing activities that improve mental health

• Advocacy (Chetan & Sarah) - advocating for campus policies that have a positive impact, both directly and indirectly, on mental health and wellness

The Coalition meets regularly to discuss ways we can utilize communication, programming, and advocacy to improve the campus culture of mental health as well as to collaboratively develop, organize, and implement initiatives in service of this goal. Each month our Action GBM focuses on specific issues and initiative planning. 

History

Development of an inter-departmental mental health-focused coalition began in Spring 2020 with the arrival of a new Counseling Center director, Dr. Chetan Joshi, and a goal of strategically collaborating across campus to improve the culture of mental health at UMD through large-scale mental health initiatives. This vision was strengthened when the COVID-19 pandemic began during that semester, further highlighting the need to prioritize mental wellbeing. In discussions across campus, it became clear that the Counseling Center was not alone in desiring a collaborative group to take action to improve mental wellness. Discussions began with departments and organizations deemed to have a stake in this work, leading us to solidify a membership base and begin recruiting more broadly. The Mental Health Coalition’s inaugural semester began in Fall 2021, with our pilot year taking place virtually.