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About JED Campus

JED Campus is a signature program of The Jed Foundation (JED) designed to guide schools through the collaborative process of comprehensive systems, program and policy development with customized support to build upon existing student mental health, substance use and suicide prevention efforts.

Sam Houston State University became a JED Campus starting August 2024. As part of JED Campus, SHSU will engage in a 4-year partnership with JED to evaluate and strengthen our programs and systems. Sam Houston joins nearly 500 campuses across the nation who are proud members of the JED Campus program!

Strategic Task Force

Sam Houston State University has developed an interdisciplinary, campus-wide task force that represents students, faculty, and staff. The task force will meet regularly to assess, support and implement program, policy, and system improvements. For questions related to the JED Campus strategic task force, please reach out to one of our co-chairs.

Co-Chairs

  • Lindsey Lopez, Student Wellness, Division of Student Affairs
  • Dr. Maribeth Jorgensen, Counselor Education, Division of Academic Affairs

Members

  • Dr. Robert Williams, Student Health Center
  • Dr. Shantha Stokes, Counseling Center
  • Diane Stoebner-May, Counseling Center
  • Dr. Rachel Valle, Dean of Students' Office
  • Kyle Ashton, Residence Life
  • Lisa Shen, Newton Gresham Library
  • Dr. Meredith Conrey, Student Involvement: Leadership and Service
  • Heather Caudle, Academic Success Center
  • Chris Thompson, Athletics
  • Jalon Berry, Office of the Provost
  • Lonnie Booker, University Police Department
  • Emilee White, Integrated Marketing and Communications
  • Hannah Jones, College of Osteopathic Medicine - Student Affairs
  • Dr. Karen Nelson, College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Dr. Kelly Zinn, School of Nursing
  • Dr. Helen Berg, Teacher Education
  • Dr. Li-Jen Lester, COSET
  • Adeli 'Minet' Cortez, Student, Doctorate of Counselor Education
  • Sofia Armenta, Student, Master's of Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • Emrys Acosta, Student, Bachelor's of Psychology
  • Misha Hassan, Student, Master's of Public Health

JED Campus Framework

JED Campus Framework

    The Framework
  • Develop life skills: Supporting life skills education is valuable in teaching healthy ways to cope with the stress of college life. Some of the life skills that are important to a student's well-being include managing friendships and relationships, problem solving, decision making, identifying and managing emotions, healthy living, and finding life purpose, meaning and identity.
  • Promote social connectedness: Research has shown that loneliness and isolation are significant risk factors for mental health problems and/or suicidal behavior. Therefore, supportive social relationships and feeling connected to campus, family and friends are protective factors that can help lower risk.
  • Identify students at risk: It is important to take action to identify students at risk for mental health problems and/or suicidal behavior, and also to promote emotional health awareness among those who interact with students the most - such as residence hall staff, academic advisors, faculty and even fellow students - as it is vital for these people to be able to recognize and refer a student who might be in distress.
  • Increase help-seeking behavior: Many students who need help may be reluctant or unsure of how to seek it out. Obstacles to help-seeking include lack of awareness of mental health services, skepticism about the effectiveness of treatment, prejudices associated with mental illness, and uncertainty about costs or insurance coverage. Campuses should engage in a variety of activities designed to increase the likelihood that a student in need will seek help.
  • Provide mental health and substance abuse services: It is essential to offer accessible, consistent and high-quality mental health services to students. To make mental health and substance abuse care more comprehensive, it should include flexible services and adequate staffing levels. Since most college clinics are free, the length of treatment is often limited. Therefore, it is important that campus mental health services can assist students in finding off-campus resources that can provide long-term care if needed.
  • Follow crisis management procedures: The campus should have access to a well-publicized 24/7 crisis phone and/or chat line either through campus resources or local/national services. There should be a process in place to share information (as legally appropriate) between local ERs and school health and/or counseling services.
  • Promote means safety: It has been well established that if the means to self-harm are removed or limited in an environment, it can prevent suicide and even limit accidental deaths. This is called means restriction. Limiting students' access to weapons, poisonous chemicals and rooftops, windows or other high places are all means restriction activities. Each campus should do an environmental scan for potential access to lethal or dangerous means.