I am committed to ensuring access to course content for all students, including those with disabilities. Please contact me to discuss your accommodation plan. If you have a disability but no accommodation plan or are unsure if you have a disability that requires accommodation, please contact Disability Services: disabilityservices@macalester.edu, or call Disability Services at 651-696-6275.
Here at Macalester, you are encouraged to make your well-being a priority throughout this semester and your career here. Staying well is extra complicated these days by COVID-19, as well as ongoing systemic racism, and other forms of oppression - this complex context requires flexibility, creativity, persistence and support. Investing time into taking care of yourself will help you engage more fully in your academic experience. Remember that beyond being a student, you are a human being carrying your own experiences, thoughts, emotions, and identities with you. It is important to acknowledge any stressors you may be facing, which can be mental, emotional, physical, financial, etc., and how they can have an academic impact. I encourage you to remember that you have a body with needs. In the classroom, eat when you are hungry, drink water, use the restroom, and step out if you are upset and need a break. Please do what is necessary so long as it does not impede your or others’ ability to be mentally and emotionally present in the course. Outside of the classroom, sleeping, moving your body, and connecting with others can be strategies to help you be resilient at Macalester. If you are having difficulties maintaining your well-being, please don’t hesitate to contact me and/or find support from the following resources.
*In cases of life-threatening emergencies, call 911.*
Laurie Hamre Center for Health & Wellness
Making an Appointment for Counseling or Medical Services
Leonard Center Room 53
www.macalester.edu/healthandwellness/
* There is no charge for an office visit to see a provider for most appointments. Medical providers can talk to you about your mental health.
call: 651-696-6275, or
email: health@macalester.edu, or
go to the patient portal
Counseling Services
https://www.macalester.edu/healthandwellness/counseling/
Health & Wellness counselors provide short-term counseling to students.
Drop-in counseling sessions are available each day.
Counseling staff offers multiple groups each semester. Check Hamre Center website for more information on specific groups being offered.
Let’s Talk - brief, drop-in chats with counselors.
24 Hour Urgent Phone Counseling – PRESS 2
To speak to a mental health counselor at any time, call 651-696-6275, then press “2” to be connected to ProtoCall, a free phone counseling service that Macalester provides for students, available 24/7.
Self-Care Resources
Health Promotion
Provides resources and initiatives, including free yoga classes, aromatherapy, AOD resources including fentanyl test strips, sleep products, and sexual health resources. Visit the Wellness Initiatives section of the HWC website.
We’re All in this Together Resilience Challenge found on the Wellness Section, Resilience Button of the HWC website provides practical, digestible skills for you to create your own building blocks to resilience.
PAWS @ Mac (therapy dog program)
https://www.macalester.edu/healthandwellness/wellness-initiatives/paws/
To learn more about when and where to find the therapy dogs, email paws@macalester.edu, or follow pawsatmac on Instagram.
Resident Advisor (RA) and Resident Hall Director (RHD)
Both RAs and RHDs can serve as a first point of contact and are able to connect you to resources during mental health crises.
Other Support Offices
Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, (651-696-6298), Weyerhaeuser Chapel
Office of Student Affairs (651-696-6220), Weyerhaeuser 119
(www.macalester.edu/healthandwellness/afterhours)
Macalester Public Safety
Call 651-696-6555 in the case of any emergency to reach Public Safety. They will connect you with other campus response personnel.
On Friday and Saturday nights (9 pm – 2 am), student EMTs are on call, and will respond to health-related emergencies when Security is called
Telehealth (call, text, email or video)
24/7 services with NO charge
Press 2 – Phone Mental Health Counseling (Macalester-sponsored. See description above) Call 651-696-6275, select menu option 2.
Crisis Text Line Text MN to 741741
Minnesota’s suicide prevention and mental health crisis texting services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Trevor Project (text, chat, or call - suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth)
Call: 1-866-488-7386 Thetrevorproject.org/get-help-now Text START to 678678
Transgender Suicide Hotline 877-565-8860
Steve Fund Crisis text line Text STEVE to 741741 For person of color.
SOS Sexual Violence Services 651-266-1000
BetterHelp.com Does charge but covered at 100% if the student has the Macalester-offered United Healthcare Student Resources health insurance. *The BetterHelp app may share (non protected healthcare) information with other apps.*
Urgent Care for Adult Mental Health
402 University Ave E, St. Paul, MN 55130
651-266-7900 (24/7 phone support; walk-ins M-F 8am - 5:30pm)
Regions Hospital (Emergency Room)
640 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN 55101
651-254-3456
If you have an urgent health need and do not have transportation to get to a clinic or hospital, Hamre Center staff, Residential Life staff, Office of Student Affairs and other campus response individuals can arrange for a ride share (Uber) to and from the clinic/hospital. There is no charge for the ride.
The MAX Center is Macalester’s academic resource center. I strongly encourage you to take full advantage of any and all of the excellent resources they provide there, as they are committed to supporting all students to succeed at Macalester.
You may wish to take part in religious observances that occur during this module. If you have a religious observance/practice that conflicts with your participation in the course, please contact me before the end of the first week of the module to discuss appropriate accommodations.
In an effort to respect religious diversity, I request that students who desire to observe a religious holiday during a scheduled class meeting talk to me about reasonable consideration by the end of the second week of the course.
Macalester is committed to providing a safe and open learning and living environment for all students, staff, and faculty. If you (or someone you know) has experienced any form of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, or stalking, please know that you are not alone, and that help and support are available.
Please be aware that as a faculty member, I am a non-confidential resource, although I will keep anything you disclose to me private. This means that if I become aware of incidents or allegations of sexual misconduct, I am required to share the matter with the Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Title IX Coordinators. This College policy is intended to ensure that you receive the resources and support you need.
Even as you might be away from campus, or your needs change, resources are available for you if you need support related to sexual and/or relationship abuse.
If you would like to contact the Title IX office, Macalester’s Title IX Coordinator is available and can assist you with supportive measures and referrals:
Phone: 651-696-6258 Email: titleixcordinator@macalester.edu
Incident Report Form: Macalester Incident Report
If you would like to talk to someone who would not have to share what you tell them with the Title IX office, confidential support resources through Macalester are also available to you:
Free, Urgent, Phone Counseling (Press 2) is available to Macalester students anywhere in the world, 24/7/365. Speak to a licensed mental health counselor 24 hours a day by calling Hamre Center at 651-696-6275, then press or say option 2 when prompted.
To make an appointment with one of our counselors or medical providers, call 651-696-6275 or email health@macalester.edu
To contact support through the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, call 651-696-6298 or email religiouslife@macalester.edu
Local and national resources are also available:
Ramsey County SOS Sexual Violence Services offers confidential phone support at 651-266-1000 or you can use the SOS Contact Form (SOS is currently not offering face to face meetings)
RAINN is a national resource with both confidential phone support and live chat: Find out more about RAINN
Futures Without Violence offers a COVID-19 specific page with a robust range of resources, including identity-specific options such as Trans Lifeline and the DeafHotline. FWV also offers resources on safety plans, check out FWV’s COVID-19 page.
National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
A sense of community and connectedness can provide a powerful environment for learning: Research shows that learning is maximized when students feel a sense of belonging in the educational environment (e.g., Booker, 2016). A negative climate may create barriers to learning, while a positive climate can energize students’ learning (e.g., Pascarella & Terenzini, cited in How Learning Works, 2012).
Our class is participating in the Classroom Community & Connectedness Project this semester. That means that one of our class sessions will be a facilitated class activity (peers and facilitators only; I will not be present) to collectively reflect on strengthening our classroom community, with the intent of improving the learning environment for all of us.
Your participation is voluntary, but very much appreciated. The project is co-sponsored by Macalester’s Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching and our Office of Institutional Research & Assessment.