BIG EAST SAAC at 2016 Summer Meetings.
BIG EAST Conference Hosts First Mental Health Summit
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference, in partnership with the NCAA, is hosting a Mental Health Summit June 15-16 on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the Summit is to help collegiate institutions create an environment on campus that supports and promotes student-athlete mental health.
The Summit will attract a wide range of groups, including BIG EAST senior athletic administrators, campus counselors, athletic trainers, faculty athletic administrators, NCAA representatives and industry mental health experts. The BIG EAST Student-Athletic Advisory Committee, which is comprised of two student-athletes from each league institution, also will attend.
“We look forward to hosting this forum on a topic of great and growing concern on college campuses, namely the mental health and well-being of our student-athletes,” said BIG EAST Commissioner, Val Ackerman. “We hope to provide our administrators with information, insights, and tools to help them better serve athlete needs and to create cultures where athletes feel comfortable in seeking any help they may require.”
The keynote speaker will be ESPN commentator and journalist Kate Fagan, the author of the book, “What Made Maddy Run,” the story of a University of Pennsylvania track athlete who died after struggles with mental health issues.
Chamique Holdsclaw, a former WNBA player and mental health advocate, also will be a featured speaker. One of the top players in women’s basketball during her collegiate and pro career, Holdsclaw suffered from depression as a professional. An All-American in college at the University of Tennessee, she was a two-time winner of the Naismith Player of the Year award.
Rachel Bonnetta of FOX Sports, the BIG EAST’s national television partner, will be the emcee for the Summit. A FOX Sports Digital correspondent who covers breaking news and top stories, Bonnetta contributes to FOX Sports social media platforms and FS1 programming.
Additional speakers will include representatives of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, as well as Dr. Jessica M. Mohler, CC-AASP, a clinical and sports psychologist who is the Coordinator of Sport Psychology Services and Deputy Director of the Midshipmen Development Center at the United States Naval Academy. Dr. Mohler is the first Sport Psychologist appointed to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry.
The BIG EAST SAAC is leading a fundraising campaign to raise money for NAMI to lift awareness of mental health. To donate to the campaign, please go to
https://www.gofundme.com/BIGEASTMHS. FOX Sports has pledged to match the donations up to $2,000. In April, the BIG EAST SAAC conducted a social media awareness campaign with the hashtags #BEtalktome #1X4 to promote issues related to mental health.
The Summit will share and analyze challenges, successes and the stigma surrounding mental health on college campuses. It will discuss best practices developed by the NCAA and currently in place at BIG EAST institutions, and ensure that the appropriate resources and training be established and accessible to student-athletes.
Institutions will develop action plans and steps to implement programs that address student-athlete mental health and prepare attendees to lead discussions and training sessions to ease the stigma surrounding mental health and establish a supportive environment.