A recap of the John Carroll student government meeting: Oct. 3

Alissa Van Dress, Campus Editor

Oct 6, 2023

On Oct. 3, student government featured Dr. Katherine Hahn Oh, Director of the University Counseling Center.

The student government meeting on Oct. 3 involved a discussion of student mental health across campus. This week’s guest speaker was Dr. Katherine Hahn Oh, Director of the University Counseling Center who discussed an update from JED Campus and reviewed the data from the Spring 2023 Healthy Mind Survey conducted by the University of Michigan.

The data represents 18% of the student body, allowing some patterns to be drawn, though with caution.

According to the survey’s statistics, 46% of respondents said that they are flourishing mentally. Compared to peer schools and national studies, John Carroll has had lower rates of depression (30%), depression or anxiety (40%) and self-injury in the past year (24%).

The survey reported that JCU has similar rates to comparable schools regarding anxiety (29%), suicidal thoughts in past year (12%) and risks of eating disorders (14%). Additionally, JCU’s percentages are higher for binge drinking and body image, which caught the attention of many. Here are the results broken down, according to the survey:

Binge Drinking: 64% of respondents reported drinking in the past two weeks. Specifically, the survey tied a connection to athletic binge drinking. 16.2% of survey respondents reported that they were varsity athletes and 32.2% had some athletic participation in varsity, club or intramural sports.

Body Image: Overall, 35% of the respondents replied that they need to feel very thin to feel good about themselves. 45% of those respondents were recorded as women, 42% were recorded as gender non-binary and 19% were recorded as men. 44% were a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Belonging: Groups struggling with belonging were reported to encompass members from the LGBTQ+ community and the students of color who responded. Of the 18% of respondents, 25% of students in the LGBTQ+ community indicated that they have severe depression, 30% indicated they have severe anxiety and 44% said that they struggle with body image. Furthermore, 16% of students of color indicated that they struggle with severe depression.

In the Spring 2026 semester, another Healthy Minds Survey will be conducted.

Student government encourages students to attend their public meetings on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. For more information, please contact [email protected].

About the Contributor

Alissa Van Dress, Campus Editor

Alissa Van Dress is a junior English major from Amherst, Ohio. She has a concentration in professional writing with minors in business, creative writing and Spanish and Hispanic Studies. Previously, Alissa served as the copy editor at The Carroll News. In addition to her current role as campus editor, Alissa is a JCU football and basketball cheerleader, a writing consultant at the JCU Writing Center, works as a digital engagement ambassador for the JCU Carroll Fund, and serves on the visual arts committee for The Carroll Review. Also, she is honored to have co-founded the Theatre Club at John Carroll University. Other than writing, some of Alissa's favorite hobbies include musical theater, vocal performance, fashion, dance and cheerleading/acrobatics. After graduation, Alissa plans to write for children's entertainment.

To contact Alissa, email her at [email protected].

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