Tuesday, February 15, 2011 |

TechNews

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RYAN KAM PHUIS
UTSAV GANDHI

 

IPRO 335 in Haiti: Day 2

By Simon Brauer
TECHNEWS WRITER

We stirred in the room as the alarm rang 7 6
arm? Our second day in Haiti would bring us
across a mountain range to the small town of
Lascahobas, and we certainly didn’t want to be
late for our 7 o’clock departure As I rose and
threw the shades open, I was welcomed by the
bright, earlyemorning vista of PorteaurPrincei
The sunken city was below our hilletop hide,
away, the sun was reflecting steeply OH of the
panoramic ocean, and the myriad concrete
buildings and palm trees were going out to
meet it?

7:30 passed us by but still no word from
our escort? (We’ll be there in 15 minutes,” we
were told after many futile phone calls? The
time continued to pass as we discovered what
we humorously dubbed “Haitian time,” until
finally at 9:30 the vehicles arrived to take us
to Lascahobasi There we would examine three
schools to determine which was suitable for
our solar implementation? As the houses be,
gan to diminish, the open field lay before us
holding the mountains in the distance? Sud,
denly, the ride was as peaceful as it could be,
with smooth, straight roads leading us to what
loomed ahead. This didn’t prepare us for the
ride through the mountain range, though,
as easy riding suddenly became a swift roller
coaster of turns, zipping around hairpinsiwe
in the backseat grabbed onto anything that
gave us whatever false sense of security we
could believe in?

We arrived at our first school Its construc7

tion was funded by the IntereAmerican Dee
velopment Bank and it served as a primary
and teacher training school, with a broad
campus dotted by brightly colored stucco
buildings, some with simple sheetemetal
roofs? As we wandered the paved pathways
examining the structures, we couldn’t help
but think that this was the one we were
looking for We wrapped up and headed to
the next one, a nice Catholic school with a
large courtyard. The roof seemed terribly
weak and there was a strangely ominous die
lapidated building opposite the main class,
roomsiwe were told that government funds
got caught up and it couldn’t be completed
The sisters were more than happy to help
us, though, and they led us around the two,
storey school house? We left and drove a bit
to the last one? As we pulled up, a concrete
building with a large, gaping hole in its wall
greeted us, a strange welcome after the seem,
ingly pristine school we visited first? Inside
the gate, it was cool and shady, with two
buildings closely mirroring each other There
were no doors on these buildings and the
hollow cement block walls let light into the
classrooms? Once again, there seemed to be
some issues with the buildings, but the offie
cials were more than happy to show us around
and answered all the questions we asked.

After we had completed what we needed
to accomplish in Lascahobas, we headed back
toward PorteauePrincei On the way back, we
stopped by a hotel complex and ordered some
mucheneeded lunchiit was 2 pm? by that
time and we had eaten breakfast before 7 am?
(What does the club sandwich have on it?” we

)

asked? “Is it like what we get in America?” The
waitress assured us that it was exactly what we
were expecting?“ well, once we glimpsed upon
the awkward layers of egg, tuna, and ham, we
realized that it, in fact, wasn’t? Needless to say,
we arrived hungry and we left in like fashion?
With that, we braced ourselves for the next
twoehour trip over the mountain and back to
the Prince Hotel?

Photos courtesy Simon Brauer

 

But this was a fiveeday trip, and had we
really just made up our minds after day two?
Well, we were confident for that night at least,
but we were certainly thrown for a loop the
next morning?

For more information on IPRO 335, please
check out http://iitempoweringhaiti.org/ and
the IITEmpowering Haitifacehookpagefor up,
dates, events, andpictures ofour work.

 

An interview with Student Counseling Services

By Utsav Gandhi
CAMPUS EDITOR

Tucked away in a small office next to the
Student Health Services on the 3rd floor of
IIT Tower (a much better location than their
previous one, they admit) is an incredible re,
source that’s available just a phone call away for
the IIT community As the interviewer found
out, it’s run by some very empathetic and quale
ified professionals who can bring about posi7
tive change in the lives of those who approach
them for help? I’m talking of the IIT Student
Counseling Services, which, since as far back
as the 1940s, has provided psychological ser7
vices, professional counseling and outreach
programs on topics including (but not limited
to) stress reduction, time management, study
skills, homesickness and cultural adjustment?
Interviewing Dr Daniel Kaplan, Director 8K
Stafi Psychologist; and Dr Jean Tzou, Stafi
Psychologist 8K Outreach and Group Therapy
Program Coordinator, was just as enlighten,
ing and transformative as an actual counseling
session?

What do you feel are some of the most
striking psychological issues specific to the
IIT community, both in regard to your expe-
rience here, and as compared to other cam-
puses you’ll have worked at?

This is [Dr Tzou’s] 5th campus, and [Dr
Kaplan’s] 4th campus, and what is most no,
table about issues brought forward by the stu7
dent community is that academic stress tends
to figure quite high on issues felt by students,
especially because of the techeheavy math and
engineering majors? This causes depression
and anxiety in some cases, especially before
exams, and the center has in the past had to
deal with quite a bit of such cases? On the other
hand, we have seen a lot less substance abuse
here as compared to other campuses, which is
really heartening and reflects positively on our
students as a focused, driven, weeknowroure
limits kind of bunchI

Since such a large proportion of students
here is international, homesickness and adjust,
ing to a new environment is obviously a major
issue? What kinds of services are offered keepr
ing this group of students in mind?

The Counseling Center welcomes stu7
dents of all nationalities, faiths and beliefs? I

[Dr Tzou], as well as another one of the four
staff members, were international students? I
think this really helps them approach home,
sickness and related issues empathetically, and
pushes us even further towards our goal of
‘multicultural competence? There are several
outreach programs organized by the Center
where students are encouraged to unhesitantly
ask for any kind of help? The Center is open
to arranging programs in conjunction with
the International Center and really hopes that
every student here
feels supported and
within reach of as,
sistancet

Who are some
of the people you
work with on- and
off-campus in order
to provide your ser-
vices?

Clinical Serf
vices are provided
by doctoraterlevel
psychologists, a psye
chiatrist and closely
supervised profes7
sionals in training,
all located on came
pus or locally We
also work with the
nearby Mercy Hose
pitals, if we feel stu7
dents need assistance
from their end; and
we also have a coune
selor at the Down,
town Campus? On the main campus, we rec,
ognize the tremendous importance played by
RA’s in the residence halls, as the first friend
a student might approach if he or she is facr
ing personal issues that need help? We partici7
pate in the orientation and training sessions
for RA’s somewhere around August, and they
are also instructed to either consult higher aue
thorities or refer a particular student directly
to the Counseling Center if they feel the stu7
dent needs professional help? Organizations
such as the Muslim Students Association and
offices such as the Office of Spiritual Life and
Service Learning are also excellent resources
for students to approach for help?

Many students have never approached a

stand you

must tOO

 

Friends can help,
especially if family isn’t
around and they under—

anyone else, but friends
realize that
they must refer those
who they feel need pro—
fessional help.

psychologist before, so they might be a little
apprehensive about what to expect at a meet-
ing? What kind of information is asked for,
and what is the general procedure followed
when a student comes in for a session?
Students can either walk in or schedule an
appointment over the phone? If the student in,
dicates that he is experiencing an emergency
or crisis we will encourage him come in right
away for a brief crisis meeting? The intake ape
pointment lasts one hour, and involves discuss,
ing your concerns
with a staff member
Based on informae
tion gathered in this
meeting we will make
treatment
mendationsi In some

recome

cases we may recome
mend meeting with a
staff member here for
psychotherapy and/
or a medication evale
uationi In other cases
we may recommend
a referral to a nearby
mental health profes7
sional for treatment?
We tailor our services
to the individual and
make a treatment
plan in collaboration
with each person to
best meet his or her
needs?

What are your
plans for this new
semester? Any outreach events planned that
you’d like students to know about?

There are three therapy groups we are or,
ganizing, the details of which are provided on
our webpage under the clinical services sec,
tion?

First, a group especially for undergraduate
women, since we understand the concerns as,
sociated in studying maleedominated classes
and maleedominated majors?

Second, a group on how to cope with acar
demic stress, especially for international/new
students for whom adjusting to a new environ,
ment may be affecting their class performance?

Third, a group on keeping the mind and
body healthy, possibly a tieein with some recree

more than

 

ation classes the Keating Sports Center offers,
such as yoga? Keep an eye out for updates on
the website!

Do you feel the Center has a visible
enough presence on campus?

Judging by the response and referrals we
get, I believe that yes, the existence of the
Counseling Center is acknowledged by all,
but I believe there still is greater need to make
students more aware of the programs we offer
7 sleep pattern assistance, alcohol abuse, anxr
ety, attention deficit disorder, college survival,
eating disorders, depression, homesickness,
procrastination, sexual assault, study skills or
anything else that might be disturbing and
negatively affecting students?

Does the motivation, that final decision,
to approach a psychologist have to come
from within, or do students need friends,
family, RA’s or someone else to guide them
and show them that the Counseling Center
is the place where they can find assistance?

You need to trust yourself Know your,
self Know when it’s that limit when you can’t
handle it by yourself anymore, when you have
to accept that you need to approach someone
trustworthy, someone qualified and experi7
enced enough to guide you on the right way
back? Friends can help, especially if family isn’t
around and they understand you more than
anyone else, but friends must too realize that
they must refer those who they feel need pro,
fessional help? College is an exciting time , but
students may face stress along with all the risks
they might take and the consequences these
risks may have? Questions of identity and pure
pose may start cropping up, and these require
you to find your inner strength and wisdom?
Student Counseling Services is one such place
which can help you find this inner strength,
and pull you out of any personal crisis you may
be facing?

To learn more about Student Counseling
Services visit their website at http://www.iit.
edu/counseling,center/. To schedule your first
appointment call 31275675900 from 8:30 , 5
on Mondays through Fridays. For emergencies
that occur during weekends or evenings call the
Aetna StudentAssistance Program 24 hoursupe
port line at 87773517889, or 80074427HOPE,
or IIT Public Safety at 31278086363, or 911 if
need he.