Indiana University Athletics
IU Excellence Academy Hosts #SameHere Sit-Down
10/4/2018 8:32:00 PM | Student-Athlete Services
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On Wednesday night, the Indiana University Excellence Academy and the We're All A Little Crazy (WAALC) Global Mental Health Alliance (501c3) teamed up for a #SameHere Sit-Down. Indiana, chosen from a pool of 50 applicants, is one of 15 colleges and universities to host the 2018 national event tour.
Each event features opportunities for candid and revealing conversations with highly accomplished athletes, musicians, artists and members of the news media. Indiana's panel consisted of Derek Anderson, Jackson, Bertoli, Dr. Chelsi Day, Eric Kussin, and emcee Scott Agness.
Indiana student-athletes heard firsthand about the mental and emotional challenges panelists have encountered in their pursuit of excellence, along with a range of coping strategies they have developed in response. The intended result of the #SameHere Sit-Down is to normalize mental and emotional health challenges in an effort to promote more open conversation among student-athletes. Everyone faces life challenges, and asking for help, getting that help, and finding success is not only possible, but seen as a sign of strength.
QUOTABLES:
"I am so excited be a part of this tour. Our athletic department expressly states that we will "be well in mind, body, and spirit" and I think we do a really good job of practicing what we preach. We are able to provide comprehensive mental health services to our student-athletes from within our sports medicine department and bringing events like this to our campus allows us continue to break down the stigma of utilizing those services. It was great to be able to collaborate with colleagues throughout the Excellence Academy on this event because it solidifies the importance that our whole department puts on the wellness of the whole student-athlete. "
— Dr. Chelsi Day, Director of Counseling and Sport Psychology
"The concept of the #SameHere Program and the Same Here, Sit Downs is to take the momentum that's been built by people with platforms who are sharing the fact that they have disorder and diagnosis, and taking it a step further to build an alliance with those people to actually get face-to-face with high school students, college students, and people in corporate offices to actually talk about the day-to-day of what their challenges are like so that we can connect that everyone goes through something. When that becomes apparent, now it is not longer scary to talk about."
—Eric Kussin, Founder of We Are All A Little "Crazy"
Each event features opportunities for candid and revealing conversations with highly accomplished athletes, musicians, artists and members of the news media. Indiana's panel consisted of Derek Anderson, Jackson, Bertoli, Dr. Chelsi Day, Eric Kussin, and emcee Scott Agness.
Indiana student-athletes heard firsthand about the mental and emotional challenges panelists have encountered in their pursuit of excellence, along with a range of coping strategies they have developed in response. The intended result of the #SameHere Sit-Down is to normalize mental and emotional health challenges in an effort to promote more open conversation among student-athletes. Everyone faces life challenges, and asking for help, getting that help, and finding success is not only possible, but seen as a sign of strength.
QUOTABLES:
"I am so excited be a part of this tour. Our athletic department expressly states that we will "be well in mind, body, and spirit" and I think we do a really good job of practicing what we preach. We are able to provide comprehensive mental health services to our student-athletes from within our sports medicine department and bringing events like this to our campus allows us continue to break down the stigma of utilizing those services. It was great to be able to collaborate with colleagues throughout the Excellence Academy on this event because it solidifies the importance that our whole department puts on the wellness of the whole student-athlete. "
— Dr. Chelsi Day, Director of Counseling and Sport Psychology
"The concept of the #SameHere Program and the Same Here, Sit Downs is to take the momentum that's been built by people with platforms who are sharing the fact that they have disorder and diagnosis, and taking it a step further to build an alliance with those people to actually get face-to-face with high school students, college students, and people in corporate offices to actually talk about the day-to-day of what their challenges are like so that we can connect that everyone goes through something. When that becomes apparent, now it is not longer scary to talk about."
—Eric Kussin, Founder of We Are All A Little "Crazy"
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