Coming Together as a Community
We would like to pause from satire and take time instead to recognize those who lost their lives at the King Soopers in Boulder on Monday. News outlets, like The Colorado Sun, have collected the victims’ names and stories, and we encourage you to read them if you feel capable.
We also want to acknowledge that a tragedy like this impacts the entire community, whether or not you knew the victims, were present at the store, or even shopped there. As a colleague recently reminded me: none of us were far enough removed from what happened.
While we in the advising and coaching community are not mental health providers, we are often working with students in crisis and we have likely all talked with students, colleagues, friends, and family who are feeling impacted by the events that occurred in our community on Monday. We regularly refer students to health and wellness resources on campus; let’s remember to take care of ourselves as well, and to utilize the support resources that are available to us.
Remember that second-hand trauma is real, and that trauma can impact us in varying ways and on varying timelines.
If you need help, please connect with campus resources like FSAP and OVA, or community resources like Mental Health Partners. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800)273-8255 or the Disaster Distress Helpline at (800)985-5990 to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7. If you are concerned for someone else’s safety, please know that you can call the local police and ask them to do a welfare check. Finally, if you experience discrimination or harassment in the wake of this event, or know of a member of the CU community who experiences this, please remember to report it to OIEC.
We would also like to encourage all of you to connect with those you care about. Many of us have struggled to feel connected this past year; connection is more important now than ever. Take a socially distanced walk in the park with someone, set up a virtual lunch or coffee, or just call someone you care about and talk.
Let’s be here for each other.
