Recently, the issue of student wellness has pervaded our campus consciousness. Social media posts on NYU Abu Dhabi groups have addressed the subject and conversations in dorm rooms and in administrative offices have echoed the concern with new force. Can I trust my peers to care for my safety, mental and physical, no matter what decisions or disclosures I may make? As our campus grows, it becomes easier and easier to ignore these issues. We know each other a little less, and this unfamiliarity can breed apathy. However, as members of a young university, NYUAD students have an opportunity to affect a still malleable campus culture for the better. By purposefully focusing on both the mental and physical wellness of one another, we can create habits of responsibility that will last long after we graduate.

Student initiative is the most effective way to improve wellbeing on our campus. As a student body, we need to accept responsibility for what happens to our peers. Why are incapacitated students not given the aid they need? All of us have regretted not asking a friend what was wrong or not intervening on behalf of a stranger. But everyday we have a new chance to be proactive about the health and safety of others, and ultimately ourselves. Everyone will need support in some way, at some point in their time at NYUAD. Fostering a sense of responsibility for the health of our friends and classmates benefits us all.

We can cultivate accountability on campus and across the GNU. It is on all of us to ensure that student safety is a priority. You don’t need to be a member of REACH to know when something is wrong, or to know when someone needs help. Understanding NYUAD’s Good Samaritan Policy, which states that students who call for medical assistance for a peer engaged in misconduct will not be subject to disciplinary sanctions related to that misconduct, is important. Being aware of Title IX, a subsection of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972 that defines sexual harassment or assault as a form of prohibited discrimination, is important. Bystander Intervention Training, counselling services and Health & Wellness workshops are all important. Information on these resources for students can be found on the Student Portal, by contacting the Health & Wellness Center or the Office of Sexual Misconduct Support Services.

Resources on campus have become more readily available, but it is vital that our student culture responds in turn. These resources are ultimately unhelpful if students are not actively educating themselves on their uses and the policies that surround them. Understanding the relevant strategies and administrative frameworks in potentially dangerous situations can empower students to take action when it is needed. We will be more likely to intervene on behalf of both friends and strangers when we know specific approaches to take, whom to call, and how the administration will act in turn. As students, each of us should take on the responsibility of educating ourselves in these areas. From Thursday evenings through Monday mornings and beyond, each of us needs to individually take an active role in promoting the health of our peers.