Ashley Stauber, this year’s chair of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College’s Mental Health Committee and MCAS ’20, has prepared a two-pronged agenda for her first year in UGBC: She’s aiming to both raise awareness about mental health issues and alleviate stress for students on campus.
Her early priorities include general improvements to University Counseling Services (UCS) and academic assistance for students who miss class due to mental health reasons. She is in the process of drafting a resolution that would set minimum standards for how much and how often professors need to post classwork to Canvas.
With the help of the committee, Stauber is also currently working on planning at 5k run/walk supporting mental health awareness and wants to create a pilates and meditation program at the Plex.
As part of her high school senior project, Stauber worked closely with a mental health first aid instructor who served on the board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and later attended the alliance’s annual conference. NAMI, a nationwide advocacy group, aims to improve the mental health care system and provide support to families impacted by mental illness. Each year, the group hosts dozens of 5ks and awareness walks across the country.
“During my senior year of high school, I shadowed both a mental health first aid coordinator and a pilates instructor” Stauber said. “And through this experience, I became fascinated by the mind-body connection.”
This interest pushed her to pursue leadership positions across campus in hopes of spreading her experience. Outside of UGBC, she is a choreographer for BC Full Swing, which both competes as a dance team and provides dance lessons to BC students looking to learn swing dancing.
Since arriving at BC, Stauber has stayed in touch with Julie AhnAllen, the assistant director of diversity and inclusion and the director of training at UCS, in order to familiarize herself with administrators who can help her achieve her goals as Mental Health Committee chair.
Her plans have drawn her to reach out to other parts of UGBC, especially the Council of Students with Disabilities (CSD). She aims to create more resolutions and programming that can promote healthier mind-body connections across all aspects of campus life.
“From my initial meeting with my committee, I already feel like there is great energy, and I’m really excited to work with all of them,” Stauber said.
Featured Image Courtesy of UGBC
