Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5/13/2025
Creating a Caring Community: the Amherst C3 Initiative - Amherst College, a private liberal arts institution, proposes to implement Creating a Caring Community (C3), a three-year, comprehensive suicide prevention program. The overarching goal of C3 is to increase the College community's capacity to respond to students in distress. Amherst seeks to foster a campus climate that promotes self-care and help-seeking, so that students access mental health support before a crisis occurs. C3 will include gatekeeper training for staff and student leaders, such as team captains, student organization leaders, and Residential Counselors, using two evidence-based approaches, Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and Student Support Network (SSN); expanded outreach to faculty, staff, and parents about campus mental health resources; the development of culturally competent educational activities and materials to promote self-care, well-being, and help-seeking among students; and improved coordination among campus personnel. Training and educational activities w i l l reach at least 100 staff, 450 students, and 40 faculty in each year of the grant, with materials distributed to more than 400 staff, 165 faculty, and 1,750 students (along with the families of approximately 450 entering students) annually.In recent years, Amherst has moved quickly and assertively to increase the socioeconomic and geographic diversity of its population of 1,794 undergraduates,recruiting significant numbers of first-generation and low-income students, as well asinternational students from outside North America and western Europe. These students experience a range of stressors as they encounter new academic demands and an unfamiliar residential environment. In addition, Amherst students from all backgrounds report increased levels of stress and anxiety, and increasing numbers of Amherst parents express concern for the emotional well-being of their children who are entering college. Amherst will partner with Charles Morse of Worcester Poly Tech.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).