January 9, 2023
Dear Members of the Carleton community,
I would like to take a moment to wish you all a warm welcome back to campus and a great start to our winter 2023 term!
As we welcome our new and returning students to campus, I invite you to join me in wearing your Ask Me button until Friday, January 13, 2023 for our annual Ask Me campaign, which is designed to support our students’ transition to the new term – or to our university for new students – and help them to feel part of our community. You can help our Ravens learn about the variety of exceptional support services and initiatives available to empower them in achieving their full personal, professional and academic potential.
Services, Programs and Events
Across the Students and Enrolment Sector, we offer a wide variety of services, programs and events to support our students. From peer academic support, to mentorship, to campus events, these initiatives help our students feel a sense of belonging to this truly remarkable community. To name a few examples, on Sunday, January 22, 2023 we will host the Colonel By Classic at TD Place, on Saturday, January 28, 2023 we will host the ninth annual SOAR Student Leadership Conference, followed by the Capital Hoops Classic on Friday, February 3, 2023. The Current Students website has all the latest student news and events, as well as a directory of our many support services.
Mental Health and Wellness
The Wellness website is a valuable resource to help you refer students to the appropriate level of support based on their specific needs. There are many services to choose from, so if a student isn’t sure where to start, encourage them to try our Wellness Services Navigator. Counselling appointments continue to be available for all students, including same-day counselling appointments for students in crisis. Students can call 613-520-6674 to make an appointment to speak with our Intake Counsellor. Undergraduate students also have access to free 24/7 mental health and wellness resources, including counselling services in multiple languages, through Empower Me.
If you are concerned about a student and are unsure of the best resource or support, you are encouraged to submit a Care Report. This will alert the Care and Support Team who will reach out as required and will provide the appropriate support and guidance to the student.
Resources to Support Students
To empower you with tools to support our students, we provide numerous resources for faculty and staff. On our Student Support website, you can find updated versions of all our Student Support Resources, including, Supporting Students in Distress, Resource Guide for Mental Health and Wellness, Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence, Student Referral Guide and more.
We also offer a wide variety of learning opportunities through the Student Support Certificate to further enhance your capacity to address diverse student needs. All our winter workshops are available for registration now, so please visit the Student Support Certificate website to explore all 19 topics.
Supporting Yourself
In order to support others, we must also ensure that we are supporting ourselves. Short-term counselling services are available for employees through the Employee and Family Assistance Program and if you are looking for ways to support your own or colleagues’ mental health, you can find resources at Carleton’s Workplace Mental Health website.
For a complete overview of our student support services I encourage you to visit the Current Students website. As always, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office at vpstudents@carleton.ca and we will be happy to assist you.
Wishing you all the best for the upcoming winter term,
Suzanne Blanchard
Vice-President (Students and Enrolment)
carleton.ca/studentsupport