My project is on the topic of mental health stigma on college campuses and how both campuses and college students can eliminate that. While it has been very interesting to research, I have hit a few roadblocks or dead ends that have made the project somewhat more difficult or take me longer than it should have. There is not as much research on college mental health programs as I would have preferred. The research is mainly in the category of mental health in general, and there are comparisons statewide, but research in the specifics of college mental health is somewhat sparse and/or difficult to track down.

Even more specifically, was for my qualitative data post, I had wanted to compare and contrast the quality of some of New Jersey’s college’s mental health program, and I was not able to track down any research similar to this. Additionally, I was planning to send surveys to college students regarding their college’s mental health programs, but due to the current pandemic, I was not really able to network with others at colleges, nor did I feel like it was very appropriate to do. Therefore, I had to approach this section of my project from the standpoint of just analyzing what programs colleges offer based off of what they listed on their websites. Due to some of the roadblocks, and my interest in continuing this project after this class, I have had to revise my schedule of when I would get certain things done quite a few times.

Technologically, I have had questions with how to change some of the design aspects of the theme with WordPress. I used to work with WordPress a few years ago but since then I have forgotten how to maneuver certain functions. I also switched my theme because of certain functions that I wanted to include worked better with a different one than the one I had previously downloaded. Otherwise, I have had no issues in uploading or saving my work. My website is not where I want it to be just yet, however, I wanted to focus on the content first, and then revisit the design and physical look of it afterward.

Altogether, while I have a great deal of knowledge of mental health stigma, especially among college students, through this project, I have been able to learn a lot of new information and facts as well. Prior to the research I have conducted for this project, I did not know that the first college health program was created in 1861 with the standards for which mental health in colleges should follow were not set until Syracuse in 1931. I have also learned about various mental health programs at different colleges all throughout New Jersey. I really did not think that the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) had the most advanced or innovative mental health programs, at least from my perspective of learning about it on the website, out of them all. I am very excited that I was able to finally start a project like this through this course as this was something I had wanted to do for a while, and I really look forward to continuing this, especially when colleges officially reopen. I hope to work with counseling centers at various colleges and help them spread their programs and better support their students.

American claims to be the free and the land of the brave. Unfortunately, we still need to do a lot to make sure it is a place equal for everyone. I believe anyone who is able to serve in the military has a right to do so. To truly live up to what America is supposed to be, we have to spread tolerance, have empathy, and fight for equality.

Why LGBTQ+ bans Should Be Repealed and Why you should help

Unjustified bans on the LGBTQ+ breeds hate, ignorance, and intolerance within the military and America. LGBTQ+ members have served in the military throughout United States history since the American Revolution. By applying bans, the military just loses valuable members.

No Harm to Military

Studies have been done saying that the LGBTQ+ community harms the military and there are also many studies that say the opposite. The truth is that there is not enough data or openness about LGBTQ+ service members.  Something to think about is the fact that without any data, no side can be proven. The justification of bans on LGBTQ+ starting in the 1950s had no real basis in reality. From the information that does exist today, it can be argued that LGBTQ+ poses no considerable harm to military strength, cohesion, or healthcare.

Healthcare

One study found a dramatic difference in health issues for LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals in civilians. Due to DADT being repealed only recently, some are looking to non-service members to predict the differences in health care needs. “Studies of LGBT civilians from the general population indicate that there are important health differences between LGBT civilians and non-LGBT civilians. In civilian studies, LGBT individuals consistently show increased stress and psychological vulnerability when compared to their non-LGBT peers Specifically, LGBT civilians have higher rates of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use and abuse compared to non-LGBT individuals” 1.  That being said, “When it comes to health, men are the weaker sex” 2. One study found “Black, Hispanic, and other/multiple race veterans reported much worse health than White veterans” 3. Factors in life, in biology, differences in socially accepted behavior, and discrimination all affect the health of everyone in America. By arguing that LGBTQ+ members are more at risk for certain diseases seems weak compared to this evidence. Saying White men shouldn’t serve because they are at higher risk to “become alcoholics, or to have bladder cancer” 4 seems like a ridiculous notion to many. Every military service member can have multiple health issues, just because they are different does not mean that they will cost the military a dramatic amount of money. There are also plenty of studies done that have evidence that LGBTQ+ has no extreme differences in medical health. (See the arguments for LGBTQ+ tab). This shows that whatever differences may exist are not so great that it would cause an extensive gap between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+

How to Help

Multiple organizations help LGBTQ+ individuals in all aspects of life. GLAAD uses multiple tools such as the new, social media platforms, and entertainment to

 boost acceptance of LGBTQ+. The Trevor Project was founded for suicide prevention and protection of LGBTQ+ youths who are disproportionally affected by mental health issues such as depression. The Modern Military Association is the nation’s largest non-profit organization helping LGBTQ+ veterans receive equal and fair treatment. All of these organizations accept volunteers. Individually, there are many ways to help the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals. First, one can elect public officials who support the LGBTQ+ community. Legislation can be revolutionary, take laws against child labor, protection for domestic abuse victims, and the landmark Civil Rights law of 1964. All these laws helped to change the world and how individuals are treated for the better and laws regarding LGBTQ+ individuals in the military are no different. 

The remarkable law passed by Obama repealing DADT and the Supreme Court deciding to make homosexual marriage legal in all states are examples of how political officials can make a difference if elected into office. Legislation has the power to determine right from wrong. It is an idea that over a long period of time, can shape the moral outlook of society. Laws preventing discrimination and hate eventually creates a society where persecution is frowned upon. Another way an individual can help is by informing themselves and others. By educating the younger generations and proving harmful myths wrong, public opinion can be changed. The power that public opinion has over society is unbelievable. That is why changing public opinion and military views are so important for acceptance. Legislation can be made, but it doesn’t immediately fix inequality. Take the 1964 civil rights amendment. Despite it being illegal to be discriminatory toward minorities like African Americans, it still was a constant. People cannot change overnight and even today there is still plenty of persecution, but people can no longer be outwardly hateful without repercussions. When the general public agrees something is wrong, people will do what they can to stop that injustice. If the majority of Americans agree that LGBTQ+ should not be discriminated against and takes action against persecution, a more equal society can be created. It all starts with individuals that come together to create a movement. 

Citations and Footnotes

1 Goldbach, Jeremy T., and Carl Andrew Castro. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Service Members: Life After Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Current Psychiatry Reports, 2016. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11920-016-0695-0.

1/ 4 Grimm, Alexandra. 2015. “War of the Words – Harvard Political Review.” University Wire, Feb 23. http://library.ramapo.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.library2.ramapo.edu:2443/docview/1862979836?accountid=13420.

3 Sheehan, Connor M, Robert A Hummer, Brenda L Moore, Kimberly R Huyser, and John Sibley Butler. “Duty, Honor, Country, Disparity: Race/Ethnic Differences in Health and Disability among Male Veterans.” Population research and policy review. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Decem