For many people, the word “help” invokes feelings of distaste and aversion. Many people find that asking for help is the greatest form of showing weakness in a society where strength and confidence are highly-prized in individuals. These people also fear the consequences of letting others know of their vulnerability. Others may not want the extra attention that comes along with the help. Still others may not want to worry the people around them, if they need help for serious issues such as mental health. However, it is important for people to realize that it is okay to ask for help, and that living alone in the darkness of one’s own’s thoughts is not worth trying to preserve one’s “healthy” social image, especially because in most cases society only wants to help.

There is great stigma around mental health. However, there is an even greater stigma around men and mental health. As mentioned earlier, there is an unspoken belief that strength and confidence is desirable. While this may be true to a certain extent, there can be different definitions of what strength and confidence mean. There is strength in overcoming one’s fear of societal backlash and asking for help. There is also confidence in one’s own potential to get better when one asks for help.

There was a “Men and Mental Health” Panel Discussion on October 25, to discuss the prevalence of mental health issues surrounding the male community. Each men on the panel took turns to speak about why they were involved in that day’s event, whether it be that they were suffering from mental issues themselves, or that they were studying or working in the field of psychology or mental health.

The panel discussed how hard it is for many men to ask for help because they felt as though they needed to be strong for the people that relied on them and because they were scared of people treating them differently. A few men on the panel also discussed how often, men don’t even realize that they need help, and only become aware of their own predicaments when the people around them point out the issues. Even when the people around them suggested getting help, many of them became stubborn and refused to see any professionals for their conditions. At this point, a few women in the audience voiced their concerns for what family and friends should do to suggest getting help without angering the men they know. The panel agreed that the best thing to do would be to let them know that other options are available and gently push them towards getting help, but to not make them feel pressured into anything because ultimately, it must be by their own choice.

In a country where approximately one in five adults are seen to suffer from some kind of mental illness, it is important to realize that there are many others that are going through the same issues, and that no one is alone. There is a stigma surrounding men and mental health because men are supposed to be “tough” and “manly” but it is important to note that certain mental health issues are actually more prevalent in men than women. Denying the possibility of the vulnerability of men can lead to disastrous consequences in many of their lives. People must know that it is okay to ask for help, and that the people who truly care for them will not think lesser of them if they do. Similarly, society as a whole must be more educated about the increased incidence of mental health issues in men, to be more readily accepting and receptive to the needs of the important men in their lives. For no one deserves to suffer alone.

The phrase “you are what you eat” is an interesting concept that is tricky to wrap one’s head around. When taken literally, it would imply that taking vitamin supplements makes the consumer a walking, talking Vitamin D pill. Of course, the phrase is only an expression to promote the idea that healthy eating choices will result in healthier individuals and to discourage the consumption of unhealthy foods, but it also emphasizes the importance of what consumers are putting into their body.

On October 10, 2017 an Interprofessional Education (IPE) Panel Discussion took place in the Campus Center Theater to discuss dietary supplements and how its role in today’s society can be interpreted from many different fields in the professional world. The panel was composed of Mr. Anthony Dissen from the School of Health Sciences, Dr. Priti Haria, from the School of Education, Dr. Jennifer Barr from the School of Business, Mr. Ray Cheung, a consumer safety officer from the FDA, Dr. Mary Lou Gelantino from the School of Health Sciences, and Dr. Kelly Keenan from the School of Natural Sciences and Math. The members of the panel first introduced themselves and how their career or research related to the topic of dietary supplements. Following the introductions, there was an explanation that further emphasized how different fields such as business, marketing, health science, and research are interrelated when it comes to nutrition.

The panel discussed how the way that dietary supplements are marketed or presented, an example being the advertisement of some drugs or supplements on talk shows like Dr. Oz, have a great effect on the amount of it purchased and consumed by the public. This type of endorsement by Dr. Oz, for example, even has a name: the Dr. Oz effect. The effect that these public figures have on the sales of these drugs and supplements must not be overlooked. To expand on this idea, the power of doctors must also be recognized. The panel stressed how doctors on television have the ability to influence the viewers decision on the types of drugs or supplements that they buy because people have a high trust in doctors. This in turn brought about a discussion on the reliability of said promoters of the drug or supplement and how consumers should check where they were getting their information and research, and think about potential exterior motives that these television figures may have.

This does not mean that people should stop trusting their doctors or physicians, but it asks of them to refrain from blindly trusting their doctors and instead be more open to the idea of questioning the medical recommendations enough to encourage self-research on the issue or condition at hand. The panel discussed how in different self-conducted tests and experiments, some drugs did not contain some of the ingredients that were listed on the labels of the bottles. Going off of this point, Mr. Cheung from the FDA stressed the importance of making sure that consumers are buying FDA approved drugs and that they are aware that sometimes people illegally copy and paste the logo on their products to increase sales. This once again ties into the idea of self-research and being responsible to be selective of what one puts in one’s body.

The IPE panel discussion initially makes consumers wonder whether anything is really safe to consume. Taking excessive amounts of a ¨good¨ vitamin, mineral or drug can have negative consequences because too much of anything is not good, there are scammers who try to trick people into buying products with as much medicinal value as dirt (perhaps it is dirt), there are well-trusted public figures that promote drugs they know nothing about, and big unchecked claims are found on many of these products. However, the panel assured the people in the room that there is a solution to safe and beneficial consumption of dietary supplements, and that is to be involved in the research and practice the concept of “buyer beware.” Although the idea of having to do self-research and being responsible for checking the information on the labels of the bottles is a daunting prospect, the panel discussion makes one realize the importance of such acts and how it is all worth it for one’s own health. Education of this topic of being aware of the potential untruths behind claims and being aware of the effects of public figures on consumers is crucial to the betterment of one’s personal health. Being smart about purchases of dietary supplements or any kind of drug or food is important to be able to lead a safe and healthy life. In other words, taking a few minutes to make sure that one is not paying a lot of money to consume substances with little to no nutritional value (like dirt), or substances that may even be hazardous to one’s health, seems worth it in the long run.

As much as people may try to deny it, a terrible reality is on the verge of being exposed. There is something that 77 percent of the United States’ population did not experience over the last few months since the election of president Donald Trump: fear pf deportation. Of course, there are concerned citizens, and angry citizens, but only 23 percent of the population must face the however slim possibility that they may be evicted from the country they call home. People may dismiss the possibility of legal immigrants and birth-right citizens being neglected and left to a corrupt system as little to nonexistent. However, the reality that irrefutably changed the lives of many illegal immigrants in the United States threatens the well-being of all people of color, no matter their nature of citizenship: this country may be more racist and discriminatory than it would like to believe.

On Sunday, September 17, an incident of unauthorized posting of fliers promoting Identity Evropa, a group previously identified as a white supremacist group, resulted in a wave of concern and protests across campus the following Monday. In response to this chilling series of events, Stockton’s Student Senate decided to host a “Unite Against Hate” rally and march to stand against hate groups and any form of discrimination that they may promote whether it be racial, religious, disability, or sexual orientation.

On Thursday, September 21, a large group of students and faculty filled the Campus Center lobby to hear organization leaders and representatives speak against the spreading of animosity on campus, and to be reassured of the safety of the student body. The speakers included representatives from the Student Senate, the Unified Black Students Society, the Latin American Student society, the Muslim Student Society, the Stockton University faculty, and other distinguished members of the community.

Anthony Vigliano asked the 72% of students representing the white population to think about their privilege of being able to go about campus knowing that they will not feel directly threatened by the messages of Identity Evropa. Mahalia Bazile spoke of the easily missed forms of exclusion that can be found in such places as a supermarket regarding shampoo for black people in the “ethnic hair” section, or her inability to find nude colored clothing that matched her skin tone. Carolina Paula emphasized that the Latino community felt that they may feel as if they did not have a voice in the school community, but that she would be the voice for all Latinos. Faculty Senate President Donnetrice Allison assured students that the university and faculty will not tolerate any forms of hate or discrimination at the school, and that anyone who felt threatened by ongoing events should feel comfortable speaking to their professors. Still other speakers referred to the Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech to ask for the rightful integration of black people into our existing society.

The rally in the Campus Center was followed by a short march through the university campus accompanied by chants of equality for various racial and ethnic groups. Students marched to take a stand against hate and make clear that any forms of discrimination on campus would not be tolerated. The march ended with Angela Y. Davis’ four demands for Stockton’s President Harvey Kesselman to better protect the school from future such occurrences and to promise the safety and well-being of all minority students.

Many students who were at the rally felt that their sense of security was being threatened by the white supremacy group. Minority groups felt as if they were being singled out. In a society where Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians work hard to be integrated into a society where the color of their skin and their racial differences already divide them from the majority of the population, Identity Evropa seemed to be clearly separating those who were white and those who were not. Minority groups felt targeted, and felt as though the white “supremacy” posters were trying to spread the idea that people who were not white were “inferior” to those that were. The fear of being physically targeted was not the principal emotion that this incident produced, but rather it was the fear of discrimination—the fear that minority groups would be seen as “victims.”

This concept is clearly something that all people from ethnic backgrounds have been trying to eradicate throughout American history, and so feelings of dread were high the day of the rally and march. It was nerve-racking and upsetting to see the number of police officers in the area that the school deemed necessary for the protection of the marchers. Why should there be a need for police protection for people who are simply asking for something as simple as basic human rights? Some may argue that the posting of the fliers was just an expression of a group of people’s opinions, and that they have freedom of speech, but should a discriminatory idea or concept be voiced if it puts certain groups in danger and threatens their well-being? Such actions are ethically and morally incorrect, and should be suppressed for the cohesion and unity of all people who call the United States their home.