Student-led petition demands new mental health resources for Chapman’s BIPOC communities

From left to right: Jeremy Tang, Emma Charles, Avery High and Samori Cullum created a Change.org petition calling for the hire of additional BIPOC therapists and the implementation of mandatory diversity training for wellness staff. JAKE NEEDHAM, Staff Photographer

A group of five students are galvanizing the Chapman community to hold administration accountable for hiring more therapists who are Black, Indigeneous and people of color (BIPOC) on campus through a petition and corresponding Instagram page. 

The project was originally created for the group’s class in nonviolent social change but quickly garnered support on campus. Currently, the petition is sitting at 168 signatures — less than 40 away from the 200 signature goal — and the Instagram page has a follower count of 320. 

“It became clear that (BIPOC mental health) was a pressing issue that there isn't a lot of advocacy for,” said Avery High, one of the petition creators and a junior political science and peace studies double major. “It spoke volumes — the sort of response that we got from (the Chapman community).”

The goal originated as the second point from the Black Student Union’s (BSU) action plan in July 2020, though there have been no signs of progress for the initiative since.

While Student Psychological Counseling Services (SPCS) does have BIPOC staff and provides resources for students of color to access the BIPOC-focused Steve Fund, the petition — entitled “Demanding BIPOC Therapists and Training at Chapman University — argues such resources do not address factors specifically impacting the mental health of BIPOC students, like discrimination or feelings of isolation. 

More BIPOC therapists are necessary on campus because they are more likely to have personal experience with the racialized struggles of BIPOC students, a post by the group explained.

“Being a college student, BIPOC, a woman of color or LGBTQ+ person of color — it compounds (on a student’s mental health),” explained Samori Cullum, a junior screenwriting major and one of the petition’s creators.

On campus, the recent creation of “YOU at Chapman'' provides opportunities for students to address mental health concerns through a digital resource hub. But while some posts on the platform — many created by students — link to resources for specific minorities, Cullum told The Panther these features felt less engaging than the kind of attention BIPOC students would need in addressing their own experiences.

"(YOU at Chapman’s features) seem like ‘Six types of naps you can take that'll make your depression go away’ or other (tips and lists),” said Cullum, who had tried out some of the platform’s features. “That doesn't address (what’s) causing issues with mental health and the culture of school.”

The petition also urges administrators to distribute pamphlets, flyers and other materials that educate students on BIPOC mental health issues and establish “mandatory and culturally sensitive … diversity training” at SPCS. 

According to the group, interviews with students and staff indicate a distinctive set of obstacles for BIPOC students who want to address their mental health at Chapman. Observed complications include difficulties connecting with non-BIPOC counseling staff and the stigmatization of mental health in some communities of color.

Alongside other diversity and cultural clubs, BSU has helped to share and promote the petition on Instagram.

“People involved in different organizations on campus were coming up to us in each of our classes and saying that this resonated with them,” High said.

In a conversation with Reginald Stewart, Chapman’s vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, Emma Charles — one of the petition creators and a junior political science and broadcast journalism double major — discussed several reasons why specially training counseling staff in diversity and intersectionality could be beneficial for BIPOC students.

“BIPOC students are at a predominantly white institution (PWI) and (are) already feeling the extra stress of 'Do I belong here?’” Charles said. “When they get a bad grade or something (similar, its effect) is heightened by being (a minority) at the (predominantly white institution).”

Many of these unique challenges can add to the everyday stresses of college life, the petition claims. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s Dec. 7 public advisory, which Charles also researched for the project, agrees many minorities were disproportionately affected by the mental health crisis. 

“Our obligation to act is not just medical — it’s moral,” Murthy wrote.

The 53-page document outlines how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified a mental health crisis among youth and young adults, such as an increase in suicide attempts and depressive symptoms. Black youth, for example, were more likely to lose a parent to COVID-19 than youth in any other racial group, putting them at higher risk of mental health challenges.

Charles said race-specific problems such as these are what make the employment of new BIPOC therapists essential.

“(We must identify) therapists who can think about (these) issues on the same level (as BIPOC students),” Charles said.

The group also demands Chapman’s administration “address local and national racialized experiences/events.”

“There seems to be, every semester, some racial incident (on campus),” Cullum said, specifically citing a former student’s widely reported outburst of racial and homophobic slurs in 2020. “Nobody said anything (when it happened).”

For Cullum, Chapman administration’s response to the incident and similar encounters on campus has proven “lackluster” and detrimental to BIPOC students’ mental health. Beyond the BIPOC community, Cullum emphasized college students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are facing increased mental health issues when compared to recent years.

Other demands from the petition addressed more generalized concerns, such as the creation of mandatory programs on how to identify or seek treatment for mental illnesses. Some interviewees, the group noted, had little knowledge of what on-campus resources were available to them.

“I think Chapman is way overdue on hiring more therapists in general,” Charles said.

Similarly, High recalled having to wait six weeks for an appointment after registering with SPCS. 

“I felt like a (statistic),” High told The Panther. “We continued to hear (about similar) experiences (through comments) on our petition and in class that (showed) they're not isolated incidents.”

High, Cullum and Charles presented their project in class on Dec. 8 alongside Sophene Kevorkian, a junior peace studies and broadcast journalism double major, and Jeremy Tang, a senior health sciences major. 

While some members of the group will be graduating soon and others will be taking on new initiatives, High, Cullum and Charles told The Panther they were glad to see a conversation form about BIPOC mental health around campus. 

Once the petition has run its course, Charles noted, it’s in the hands of Chapman’s administration to take action.

“We are Chapman,” Cullum said. “We're the people that have to use these resources and live on this campus. It’s important that these issues be addressed.”