From Staff Reports
As Old Dominion University returned to campus, the strength of our community is helping guide the way forward with care and compassion. Volunteers from near and far offered a listening ear. Students organized moments of remembrance. Faculty and staff showed up for one another and their students.
Support services were visible across campus, where familiar routines have resumed alongside a strong, coordinated presence of comfort and connection.
Twenty-two Campus Care Stations, staffed by more than 200 faculty, staff and professional healthcare workers, were in place for students returning to campus after Spring Break. The stations were meant to help Monarchs process what they are feeling, direct them to the wide range of resources offered by the University and help ease the transition back into the classroom.
“What we're doing right now is called psychological first aid,” said Joy Himmel, Psy.D., director of the Office of Counseling Services. “It's an approach that is trauma-informed, and it really helps students with just giving them space to identify how they're thinking, what feelings they're having and how they're processing this information.”
Dr. Himmel coordinated with the Victims Crisis Assistance and Response Team (VCART), a part of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, which provided trauma-informed training to 742 Old Dominion University faculty and staff members on March 20. VCART staff were joined by mental health advocates and volunteers from across the state and the region. In all, 225 mental health providers volunteered on campus with many visiting academic buildings and classrooms and offering their help before classwork resumed.
“We want to make sure students understand their reactions are normal,” Dr. Himmel said, “and give them some information and education on the different phases of a trauma response, so that they can give themselves some grace in this process, in terms of just being able to heal and recover.”
She said the University’s goals are to provide a supportive presence and reassurance to students, faculty and staff, to promote well-being and to encourage connection to campus counseling resources. In addition to light blue Monarch Strong ribbons found at Campus Cares Stations, visitors found materials that included a QR code linking to resources, such as online counseling, peer-to-peer therapy and one-on-one mental health care.
Bridget Weikel, Ph.D., associate vice president for wellbeing and belonging in the Division of Student and Campus Life, concurred.
“We were really focused this week on recovery and welcoming our students back with care and compassion. Our community is resilient,” Dr. Weikel said. “We recognized that their readiness is varied, and we were prepared to handle their needs no matter how big or small.”
Maggie Barber, Ed.D., associate dean for academic programs and assessment in the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, was not surprised by the large showing of care and compassion.
"One of the things I've always loved about ODU is that Monarchs support each other,” Dr. Barber said. “It seems especially important given the last couple of weeks that we all pitch in in the ways we can to support each other as we make our way through this."
Kit Cummings, a counselor with the VCART, came to the University’s campus from Roanoke to assist. On Monday morning, he was in the Batten Arts and Letters Building lobby ready to talk to students.
Visibility is important, said Cummings, a retired police officer. Even if few students take advantage of counseling services, knowing they are available helps.
“They need to see faces,” he said. “They need to know that it’s going to be OK.”
Other regional volunteers, like Cummings, included individuals from higher education institutions, such as Christopher Newport University, James Madison University, Longwood University, North Carolina State University, Regent University, University of North Carolina Greensboro, University of North Carolina Wilmington, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech and William & Mary, as well as local public school systems, including Chesapeake Public Schools and Norfolk Public Schools.
Students, faculty and staff who returned to campus on March 23 also found plenty of therapy dogs to pet and spend time with. More than 20 pet therapy groups were on campus throughout the week.
Kim Millering (B.S. ’06) was walking her therapy black Labrador, Finn, in front of Webb Center, drawing new friends from every direction.
Millering is a survivor of the 2019 Virginia Beach Municipal Center tragedy. Her experiences with therapy dogs, who worked with first responders then, prompted her to do the same.
Also, on Monday and Tuesday, the National Council of Negro Women at Old Dominion University invited all to visit the Dominion Rock for “Rest in Power” to paint messages, leave flowers, reflect and remember. The area around the spirit rock was covered in American flags and inspirational music played as students left their handprints and memorial messages.
Throughout the week, students, faculty and staff found support at the Office of Counseling Services, in the Reflection Room in Webb Center and at the Campus Care Stations across campus. Additionally, links to resources are available from the FBI Virtual Family Assistance Center, Employee Assistance Program and more. The University also takes part in TalkCampus, an online, global mental health community for students providing 24/7 instant peer-to-peer support.
Laura Lamarre, who works in development and alumni relations at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, summed up the thoughts of many of the volunteers. She normally works on the medical campus but wanted to show her care by volunteering at a table in Hampton Hall.
“I’m passionate about volunteering, so I wanted to help out here. I wanted to be here to greet people with a smile and support students, faculty and staff, because we’re all part of a team,” she said.
The past week was significant for our campus and felt different for every Monarch. But, one thing was certain, the campus and the community joined forces in caring for and supporting each other. To learn more about one community and one Monarch spirit, please visit https://www.odu.edu/forever-monarch-strong.