Offering and Accessing Support
Dear Students,
The past few days have been stressful, fearful, and painful for many members of our community. It has been so heartening to see the care and compassion you continue to show for one another. As we prepare for classes to begin tomorrow, I want to remind you of some of the ways in which staff at the college can support you—or peers you are worried about—as you navigate the days and weeks ahead. These include staff in the following offices:
Counseling and Psychological Services
As you know, your Student Support Advisor (SSA) can also be a valuable resource, whether you have questions, need help connecting with additional college resources, or simply want to talk. Tomorrow, Monday, October 30, you will receive an outreach message from your SSA offering to meet with you should you need support and/or assistance. Please take advantage of this valuable resource.
I also want to remind you that on Wednesday, November 1 at 4:30 p.m. the Multifaith Chaplaincy will hold a Vigil for Grief and Remembrance in Gomes Chapel. This is an opportunity for our community to be together for silence, candle lighting, poetry, interfaith prayers, and communal grief on the one-week anniversary of this tragedy.
You may also want to know ways in which you may support the broader Lewiston community. With this in mind, you may find the Caring Commons and the Community Pulse sites offered by the Harward Center to be helpful resources.
As always, you should not hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions or are unsure about how best to access support for yourself or for a friend. The Dean of Students team may be reached by emailing us at studentaffairs@bates.edu or calling us at 207-786-6220.
Take good care,
Erin Foster Zsiga
Dean of Students