Student Wellness - SWELL

Stress could be considered synonymous with chemistry graduate school. A first year student faces challenging courses, teaching assistantships, grading assignments, and navigating the path to a doctoral advisor and research group — all while acclimatizing to life in a new place. Later in the PhD program, students venture into new and uncharted research areas where frequent failure is commonplace. Postdoctoral scholars face a short timeline to learn new skills and make discoveries that will propel them to permanent employment. But what is the toll of such stress? A 2017 mental health and wellness survey of UNC Chapel Hill students found that 60% of graduate students felt overwhelming anxiety and 31% felt so depressed that it was difficult to function.

We believe that the department can help graduate students and postdocs reach their full potential by building an environment with multiple layers of support.

The need for an improved departmental climate was underscored by a 2018 climate survey led by graduate students in the department. The high (70%) response rate itself highlights an engaged community eager to improve itself. While there were positive signs, a significant fraction of students felt isolated in the department for personal or professional reasons. Others had experienced conflicts or disagreements with peers of faculty. Few acted to address these challenges. In response to national and local trends, the Department has founded the Student and Postdoc Wellness Committee, SWELL, with a mission to foster a healthy and vibrant graduate student & postdoc community. SWELL is comprised of 8 faculty and staff, led by cochairs Leslie Hicks and Alex Miller. The committee has representation from teaching and research faculty from various disciplines and staff from the teaching laboratories and student services. Many in this diverse group have completed formal trainings including Safe Zone, Mental Health First Aid, and Haven.

The committee will play several roles, including advising on disagreements/conflicts, health issues, or any other concerns; organizing community-building activities within the department; and curating and distributing information about campus resources pertaining to mental health and general wellness.

In the 2019-2020 academic year, SWELL is focused on several major initiatives. A new SWELL Website provides a centralized and curated information on resources, reporting, training opportunities. A new graduate student and postdoc lounge was completely renovated and had its grand opening in October on the first floor of Kenan Labs. The framework of a peer mentoring network is being built for launch in 2020, with senior graduate students paired with first years upon arrival. The SWELL Committee holds two weekly office hours where students and postdocs can find a supportive place for discussions. The committee will also partner with other campus entities to ensure low-barrier access to professional mental health and wellness resources.