Rice needs a culture of respect

1/9/13 6:00pm

Olivia Hansen's op-ed in the Nov. 30, 2012, issue of the Thresher made serious allegations about the administration's conduct in handling her case but also created a dialogue about an important campus issue. The article was a controversial one about an uncomfortable issue; however, in order to be a productive public forum, it is essential that the Thresher continue to print content such as Hansen's op-ed - regardless of how contentious it may be.

At the same time, the Thresher has a responsibility to investigate all matters of significance to members of this community, including those concerning the issues raised in Hansen's article. The Thresher would have ideally printed an investigative report to appear concurrently with the op-ed; however, late receipt of the piece in the production cycle, the fact that the article appeared in the semester's final issue and subsequent conflicts associated with exams have delayed the Thresher's publication of that report until this week (see story, p. 6). The Thresher regrets this delay; however, we hope Hansen's initial article, the administration's responses and follow-up stories will continue to help drive the cause of improving mental health and the ways both mental health and sexual assault are discussed around campus.

While medical confidentiality makes it difficult to examine the veracity of Hansen's claims or of the anecdotes other students have since shared, we believe the issue is larger than Hansen's story, and we hope to continue discussions in the broader context of how the state of mental health and associated services affects all students at Rice. A part of this conversation is realizing on a university-wide scale that while a culture of care is essential to our community, it is completely insufficient without a corresponding culture of respect. As long as there is a stigma on campus against those who are victims of sexual assault or who are struggling with stress, depression, mental illness or any other of the many issues that a number of students face but are too afraid or ashamed to discuss, we cannot count our community as one which is supportive of its most vulnerable members. Part of the issue is an educational one: All members of the Rice community need to be informed about the basics of mental health; adding this training to Orientation Week would be a start, but students are not the only ones who need to have mental health awareness. The Wellbeing Working Group being formed is a welcome step, but Rice needs an ongoing campus-wide discussion of mental health and a cultural revolution that acknowledges both the validity and gravity of mental health issues. While demanding adequate resources from the administration to deal with mental health issues is an important measure, the greatest change we effect will need to come from within - by developing an ability to acknowledge, understand and respectfully care for our peers who may struggle with their mental health.

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