Deans, APTT provide assistance

In the aftermath of Tuesday morning's tragic events, Dean of Student Affairs Susan Boswell announced a number of resources being set up to help students cope with feelings of anger, loss or confusion that they may encounter in the days to come.

On Tuesday afternoon, Boswell announced that the Student Health Center and Counseling Center at the Homewood campus would be available to students needing counseling around the clock.

Boswell said that students could receive emergency psychological help outside of regular counseling hours by calling Hopkins Security.

Student counselors associated with "A Place to Talk" (APTT) were also available.

An e-mail from Yoka Aerts, director of APTT, said that "APTT peer counselors [would] be [there] for anyone who would like to talk, share their feelings or just have someone to watch the news unfold with."

The APTT counseling room, according to the e-mail, would "remain open as late as necessary."

Though many counseling opportunities were made available to students, as of Wednesday afternoon Boswell said she did "not believe the counseling center [had] seen an overwhelming number of students."

However, she said that the counseling staff will remain available because students will probably encounter more difficulty in the near future.

"I don't think that the reality has hit many of us," Boswell said. "I think there is still a strong numbness and disbelief. I would anticipate that it may become more difficult as time goes on."

One of Boswell's concerns, she said, was the large number of students who were likely to know people directly affected by Tuesday's events. In addition to the many Hopkins students from the New York metropolitan area, she said, many additional students have friends or relatives who worked in the area.

For now, though, Boswell stressed that it is "important to establish a normal routine as soon as possible, as this gives people a helpful framework."

University President William Brody also shared words of encouragement in an e-mail to students.

"This is a time for all of us to come together as a community, to support each other and to reach out to each other," he said. "This is a time for us to help and to heal.