Another action Singer recommends is to create warm, inviting environments. This can start with training resident assistants to help students who may need mental support or guidance. RAs can offer hours for students to drop in and have an informal chat, creating a safe and supportive space. 

Instructors can also help create a supportive environment by informing students about mental health resources on campus either in a course introduction or as part of the syllabus. “If you incorporate an acknowledgment that taking care of yourself and having these resources available in a structured way like that, it normalizes reaching out for help if you need it,” said Singer. “When they're going over the syllabus and talking about things like assignments and attendance policy, faculty can be explicit and also talk about the resources that are right there on the syllabus that can help students take care of themselves, such information on the college counseling center.” 

The personal attention professors can give to students can also benefit student well-being. “Loyola does a great job of that, and I don’t just say that because I work here. It’s because I have seen it in so many of my colleagues,” said Singer. “Not just setting up office hours but offering flexibility in terms of when you or how you meet with students, and saying things like, ‘I’m happy to talk about the assignment, the class, or anything else.’ It just opens the door for you to be able to have those kinds of conversations.”

Singer maintained it is important that students do not feel they will incur negative consequences if they do ask for help. “Students may feel they are a failure, and that maybe they can’t succeed in college, or they might not be able to study abroad, for instance,” Singer said.

When a student reaches out to an instructor or university staff member, gentle assurance when connecting that student to more specialized help is critical. “This may be outside of an instructor's area of expertise, but they could say something like, ‘I’m really concerned, and I want to make sure you talk to the right person.’ They can then refer the student to counseling services, where there are people who are trained to manage that.”

Chatbots and large language models are becoming more a part of life for students, inside and outside the classroom. “We have to assume that students are turning to generative AI for help with homework, but in addition there are important conversations we have to have about students using AI for mental health and emotional support,” Singer said. At this point, there are very early programs that can monitor students’ searches that could indicate they may be ideating self-harm or suicide and inform proper help channels. The effectiveness of these programs are unknown, but Singer is hopeful that as the technology develops, it may have the potential to save lives. 

Faculty can create a positive environment by offering mentorships for students, and Singer cited specific training being done at Loyola to make the mentoring relationship even more valuable for students. This includes programs such as the Culturally Aware Mentoring Workshop, which looks at how cultural diversity can enrich mentoring. “Mentoring can be formal or informal, and the training emphasizes that students and mentors are coming at things from different perspectives, not just in terms of expertise but world views as well. The challenge is recognizing those differences and turning them into strengths,” he said. “The intent is for the student to gain knowledge from the faculty, but the faculty will learn from the student as well, which makes it an enriching experience for everyone.”