CORRECTION APPENDED

In a continuing battle against depression and stress, Harvard’s student wellness organizations are teaming up to reach undergraduates—particularly freshmen—during this term’s reading period.

Right before winter break, the Undergraduate Council (UC) passed the Reading Period Resources Act, which enlists the help of five campus organizations in increasing mental health resource awareness among students.

Their input has resulted in an informational pamphlet listing resources, mental health contact information, and mental health event, and will be distributed primarily through e-mail this week.

The Bureau of Study Council (BSC), the Harvard University Health Services (UHS) Center for Wellness, UHS Mental Health Services, the Harvard College Women’s Center, and the Office for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response all contributed to the pamphlet.

UC Representative Tamar Holoshitz ’10, who sponsored the legislation, said the idea stemmed from discussions with students and tutors in Quincy House about ways that mental health prevention efforts could be expanded on campus.

“[Reading period] is the time when students are under the most amount of stress,” Holoshitz said.

“Some students feel like they are running on empty,” said Sung Lim Shin, a counselor at the BSC for 13 years. “They tend to have such a full platter with all of the activities and the commitments that they have.”

Paul J. Barreira, director of behavioral health and academic counseling at UHS, said Holoshitz and outgoing UC President Ryan A. Petersen ’08 came to him with idea of expanding the College’s reading period outreach efforts.

“I think we’ve got to do multiple events to reach students, so that there are a lot of different resources available,” he said. “Students respond in different ways.”

The first event listed in the pamphlet was held Thursday evening at the BSC.

On Friday, Lamont Library hosted “BSC Office Hours,” a two-hour session designed to give students the opportunity to converse with its counselors about topics ranging from time management skills to stress relief techniques.

—Staff writer Abby D. Phillip can be reached at adphill@fas.harvard.edu.

CORRECTION: The Jan. 7 news article "UC Promotes Mental Health" incorrectly referred to the Bureau of Study Counsel as the Bureau of Study Council. In addition, the original story misspelled the name of counselor Sung Lim Shin.