It's pumpkin spice latte season, right? Our staff really doesn't know any better... We taste tested SIX pumpkin spice lattes and tried to guess where they're from! Watch most of us realize that we're not the biggest fans of the popular fall drink. How do you feel about your local PSL?
Content Warning: this article contains mentions of suicide
Following deliberations at the Feb. 25 Student Representative Assembly meeting, the SRA has decided to rescind Peer Support Line.
Created in 2013, PSL is an anonymous hotline and online chat system students may access to receive peer support. The service currently operates from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. every day.
As a part of the regular service review, which every McMaster Students Union service must go through, the MSU services committee deemed PSL’s current structure as unsustainable. Following deliberations with Executive Board, the board in charge of making long-term decisions on behalf of the student union, the two governing bodies decided to recommend rescinding PSL.
One of the main concerns both EB and the services committee have about the current operation of PSL is the number of crisis calls it receives.
“Five years on, the PSL now receives mainly crisis calls, posing severe safety concerns for all parties involved — both the users of the service and volunteers who are performing front-line trauma intake, which is not something that student volunteers are trained or equipped to facilitate,” said Preethi Anbalagan, vice president (Administration) and vice chair of EB. “To be clear, if rescinded… the resources currently used to facilitate PSL would be earmarked to enhance the depth, profile, and awareness of all peer and crisis support services.”
In addition, both EB and the services committee feel that peer support networks have expanded considerably since PSL was first introduced in 2013, such the creation of of hotlines such as government-funded Good2talk and the MSU’s Student Assistance Plan, which includes a hotline equipped with professional counselors, among others.
“Since [2013], the peer support resources of the MSU have grown considerably, Women and Gender Equity Network and Maccess have become very important peer support services. In addition, renewed focus in both the Student Health Education Centre and the Queer Students Community Centre has resulted in expanded peer support availability as well,” said Anbalagan.
Both the services committee and EB recommend incorporating the chatline function into other peer support services. They both also also recommend increasing promotions of chat lines such as the Student Assistance Plan and the Good2Talk line, both of which are equipped with professional counseling.
EB specifically recommends the MSU continues develop the Caring Communities Network, a program launched by MSU president Chukky Ibe to train individuals in various clubs or associations to provide support and give referrals.
EB also stresses renewing the MSU’s commitment to peer support by developing other forms of identity-based support programming and explore creating a peer support centre in the Student Activity Building.
During the Feb. 25 SRA meeting, the services committee, EB and PSL gave delegations outlining their stance and the future of peer support within the student union.
Executives from PSL made their own delegation, where they argued that the MSU should not view discussions of suicide as a crisis.
PSL argued that their service has never branded itself as a crisis line and that many individuals who access their line eventually access professional help after receiving peer support from PSL volunteers.
“Most of the students who call PSL to talk about suicidal ideation would not consider themselves to be ‘in crisis’ — in fact, it is often the very fear that it will be taken as a crisis and escalated beyond their control that prevents these students from discussing their ideation with professionals or even friends,” said Pranali Raval, PSL’s assistant director.
They also stressed the importance of the kind of support PSL offers.
“We would like to point out that the newly introduced or strengthened services — i.e. the Student Assistance Plan, COAST, Good2Talk — offer professional support, as opposed to peer support. While these services may allow student involvement, they are not in the form of peer support,” said Victoria Wong, PSL’s promotion coordinator.
The SRA ultimately voted in favour of rescinding the service. PSL will continue to function until the end of this semester, after which point it will no longer exist within the MSU peer support network.
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Dear Mac,
I’m about to start my fourth year this Fall, and I still have no idea what I want to do next. Most of my friends know what they are going to do, but I have no clue. I don’t know what my degree will get me, and I don’t know what kinds of jobs I want to do, or what I would be good at. Before, it seemed okay, because I still “had time”, but I’m starting to panic now, because I’m starting my fourth year, and I should know what I want to do with the rest of my life! I’m freaking out, and I don’t know what to do!
-Futureless
Dear “Futureless”,
First of all, just because you don’t know what it is, doesn’t mean you don’t have a future. It’s very common to have doubts and questions about the future, and you are definitely not alone in having them. The first place to start is to think about what interests you, what you like, and what you are qualified to do. Look at the kinds of things you’ve enjoyed doing in the past: What subjects do you like the most? Do you like research? What kinds of job and volunteer experiences do you have? The Student Success Centre website has many resources for career planning (under the “careers” tab). You can also try talking to a Career Counsellor, either at the Student Success Centre (Gilmour Hall, 110), or at your faculty office. You can also try searching up different careers you might be interested in on the internet to see what requirements they may have. You could also try searching up different careers your degree could lead to (e.g. careers in psychology, careers in gerontology, careers in communications, etc.) If you’re interested, you could even try talking to one of your professors, many of them are very helpful, and may be able to help guide you in identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of focus and interest.
See if you’re interested in pursuing graduate studies, talk to professors or your academic advisors and see if they have any insight about grad school for you. Think about whether you think you want to go straight to grad school, or take some time off to work or travel, or have some personal time.
One other thing to remember is that just because you’re going into your fourth year, does not mean that choosing a career is “now or never”. Many people change their careers throughout their lives. It’s okay to worry, but don’t feel like you have to have your entire life planned out right now. You still have time, and you have a lot of options.
-Mac
Dear Mac,
I think my housemate is stealing my food. We are living in our house for the Summer, after living in the same res this year. I often notice that my food is missing. There are only 3 of us living in the basement, and we all share a fridge, but I’m pretty sure I know which of my housemates is doing it. I’m getting super frustrated, but we are all really good friends, and we are going to have to live together all year, so I don’t know what to do!
-Hungry
Dear Hungry,
This kind of situation can be tough, because when you’re living with close friends, you want to have fun, but you also need to remember to set rules. You might be pretty sure which one of your housemates is taking your food, but remember that you might not know for sure. Something you can suggest is having a “house meeting” where you can set ground rules for living together. Here, you can mention specific rules for sharing food and fridge-space. This way, you aren’t singling out one person, and it is also a constructive way to prevent problems in the future. If this doesn’t work out, try talking to your housemates individually, or leaving notes on your food saying “do not eat”, or labelling it with your name.
-Mac
