Guest Opinion: An open letter from the UI’s confidential reporting offices
In the midst of stressful events, the confidential reporting offices on campus offer support and resources for students.
The University Counseling Service is seen in the Old Capitol Mall on Sept. 28, 2017.
October 9, 2018
To the University of Iowa campus:
We represent the “Confidential Reporting Offices” on campus, and we write this open letter to you, the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Iowa community. It is a time of much unrest at the national, state, and local levels. It is a time where we still grieve the recent losses of some of our Iowa students, a time after a shooting near campus, a time when sexual assaults continue to happen, and it is a time when anxiety, depression, and overall distress are at higher levels than they have been in recent times.
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We feel dismayed that all of this is going on around you, and we are aware of the impact this all can have on you, emotionally and physically. You may be struggling with loss, loneliness, fear, tension, anger, and distress. At mid-semester, we want to take a moment to acknowledge, validate, and support you in your efforts to try to understand and make meaning of all this for yourselves.
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It is with this in mind that we state strongly and proactively to you that we are members of a Community of Care at the UI. Our services and many other services in and around the university campus are here every day to offer you support, care, kindness, and reminders of how to sustain yourselves. We encourage you to use your strengths and resources to help you with the impact of all that is going on around you so that you can continue to be and do well.
When so many things can seem so challenging so often, we hope it is reassuring to know that there are many people and services on this campus to assist you in continuing to do well in your academic pursuits, have meaningful relationships, and engage in fulfilling activities. When things around you feel terrible, they feel terrible to us as well. And as such, we want you to know: You are not alone.
You are a Hawkeye, and you are a member of a larger community of Hawkeyes. We are also a part of the Hawkeye community, and we are here to support you and to provide you a Hawkeye Community of Care! We Are Here for you! Let us know how we can help you!
Barry A. Schreier University Counseling Service
Cynthia Joyce & Rachel Williams Office of the Ombudsperson
Linda Stewart Kroon Women’s Resource & Action Center
Maggie Moore Employee Assistance Program
Adam Robinson Rape Victim Advocacy Program
