In 1990, Congress made the first full week of October “Mental Illness Awareness Week” to highlight the work done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness to de-stigmatize mental health. This year, Mental Illness Awareness Week began on Oct. 7. Thanks to support from NAMI Metro Baltimore, the UMBC student branch of NAMI was able to put together an event each weekday as part of a week-long campaign called “I Will Listen.” 

“[I Will Listen is] a campaign to prove and always be open to listening to somebody, no matter what they may be going through,” said NAMI president and senior physics education major Phillip McGregor. 

This message manifested in many different ways throughout the week, starting with a pledging day on Monday, in which students were encouraged to pledge not to wear headphones and instead listen to their peers. Tuesday was a day of “Personal Stories of Recovery,” in which students watched a video presentation about mental illness. The next day had an open mic night where bystanders were invited to share their experiences with mental health. On Thursday, there was a seminar about stress management and stigmas that specifically affect the mental well-being of women of color. The week was scheduled to end with puppies and a compliments board from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the library courtyard, but the event was postponed until Friday Oct. 19 due to the campus closure on Oct. 12.

These events each had turnouts that were fairly consistent with those of last year’s: not very high. Students who did come to the events received plenty of information and personal testimonies about mental illnesses, as well as tips and suggestions for maintaining a healthy mental state; unfortunately, McGregor does not believe that the events were particularly impactful for those who did show up. However, he also feels that the low participation in the I Will Listen campaign does not indicate poor results for future events.

“We seem like we have a really dedicated group of general body members,” said McGregor. Because of this, he believes that there will be more student participation in future events. For example, NAMI’s “Winter Wonderland” formal in November and “My Story” event (in which students share their personal experiences with mental illness) in the spring have garnered strong support in the past. Additionally, events done in collaboration with other groups help to broaden NAMI’s exposure to the student body.

“People just see, ‘oh, NAMI, like, I don’t have a mental illness, that doesn’t apply to me,’ so they just don’t come,” explained McGregor. Bringing in outside organizations can entice other students and help them get involved in the conversation about mental health. This is part of the overall goal of NAMI: normalizing mental illness by bringing the issue to the student body. 

“If there’s a group within the student body that has an outreach to eradicate the stigma, it’s … more personal,” said McGregor of NAMI’s effect on the UMBC community. “Seeing that it’s not just people studying psychology that need to look at mental health … [shows that it’s] a very widespread thing and that it really impacts everyone.”

Kicking off Ancient Studies Week, Ewing Professor of Greek Language and Literature and Professor of Classics at Princeton University, Andrew Ford gave a fascinating lecture on the plasticity of “The Illiad” in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building.

This epic poem of 24 ‘books’, written in 762 BC by the famous poet Homer, is a “classic that will grow with you over the course of your life,” said Ford. Each read takes on a new face and character whilst continuing to highlight the profound relationship of “Brothers in Arms.”

“The Illiad” itself is about the Trojan War in Ancient Greece. Main characters, Agamemnon (King of Mycenae), Hector (Trojan Prince) and the famous warrior, Achilles, face off in this epic about honor, brotherhood, revenge and war. The conflicts began mostly over women and some hurt feelings.

“Honor is in gifts,” Ford said, illuminating how in Ancient Greece, material wealth (of women, livestock, jewelry etc.) was needed to have status in the world. Achilles goes against the whole honor system, renouncing his quest for status and glory until his ‘brother in arms’, Patroclus, is murdered by Hector. This set Achilles on a murderous, savage rage that Ford called “going berserk”.

It is important to note that the ‘Berserker’ people, Ford explained, were ancient Norse warriors that were so savage, they fought in a trance-like spur of violence. They renounced civility and became animal-like, even wearing animal heads to battle.

Ford explained how this idea of ‘going berserk’ makes one rambunctious and uncivilized, much like Achilles throughout the “Illiad.” Today, one can see the continuation of this idea with British guards wearing bearskin hats and the Greek helmet plumes of horse hair on their helmets to invoke some of the ‘berserk’ culture of war and violence.

“The Illiad,” with its concepts of camaraderie and soldier PTSD, can also be seen as a parallel to the Vietnam War. Ford even went so far as to say that armies themselves are a “moral construction, a small group of comrades destroying trustworthy orders of the mind.”

Stories like the “Illiad” in Ancient Greece served as ways to grieve and learn about culture and history. While the Trojan War is thought to be an event that unified Greek-speaking people toward a common goal, “The Illiad” itself is about disunity and war, explains Ford.

Overall, the general consensus of scholars studying “The Illiad” is that it is an ever-changing piece of work, labeled a classic because of more than its age. As Ford said, every read is new.

Ancient Studies Week continued with a public reading of the Odyssey and will return next year for students of all majors to enjoy.

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Model: Dell Inspiron 15 5576 Gaming Laptop

Condition - Excellent
Specs:-
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