Memo

TO: President Boudreau

FROM: Kevin Pechersky

Subject: Stress Prevention remodification

Date: 8 February 2020

 

Dear President Boudreau:
I am writing in regards to the current lack of action taken to reduce stress for college students.  We have a major crisis due to the  unprecedented rise of suicide amongst students. The suicide rate is trending from 11-12% to almost 15% (Suicide Statistics, https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/).  That massive spike can be attributed to the increase in suicide rates amongst those aged 15-24, however, it must be noted that this increase started in 2014. There are many factors that can contribute to this horrible fact, yet stress can be attributed to being one of the main culprits. I am well aware that there are stress brochures, counseling, and a self-help page  in place for anyone who is afflicted and needs help, yet the outreach is not at a sufficient level where it is recognized by the student body.  We need to work on a way for students to feel comfortable and to know that they can talk to someone should they need to.

Summary

The suicide rates among students are increasing every year due to the increased workload on campus. We need to be able to provide students with optimal care so that they do not end up hurting themselves.  This is not just a CCNY problem;  it is a nationwide area of concern and as president, there  should be more inititiative taken to show  that CCNY is willing to go through the necessary steps to combat suicide.

Discussion

There are multiple ways to go about bettering the mental health of students . As someone who has dedicated their efforts to humanitarian causes in the South East of Asia, you can understand how challenging it is when there are issues that are hard to control and change for the better.  That’s why I want to focus on promoting those aforementioned programs set in place, especially during Final examinations. That is when students struggle the most with their mental health and it is the perfect time for students to have opportunities to destress. Therefore, there should be an increase in the distribution of  the programs CCNY offers, through email, posters, and  word of advisors and professors. 

Recommendation

I would like to converse with you about my ideas at the earliest convenience. I understand that being president leaves little free time so scheduling a meeting can be challenging, yet I see a massive mental health issue that should be targeted and I want to do everything within my power to prevent any future case of suicide.

Sincerely,

 

Kevin Pechersky

 

Self-Reflection:

The memorandum was a piece of writing that most closely represented the genre of essays. This is due to the structure resembling that of a deconstructed short essay.The need for  better stress prevention programs in CCNY prompted the writing to also reflect that of my personal values.  There was not enough action and focus on the lives of CCNY students, most importantly their mental health. Mental health awareness is a hot topic that many students can relate to, including myself. 

Stress prevention needed to be addressed, and so, upon further research, I was able to find out what CCNY actually has in place when it came to addressing stress on campus. The programs I found were actually very interesting because I was unaware of them. This helped fuel my writing because there definitely is evidence of a lack of promoting these programs (brochures, website for self help etc.) I used facts from the American Foundation for suicide prevention to provide evidence about the escalation in student-related suicides. 

President Boudreau of CCNY  was my intended audience. Since he makes many decisions that affect student life on campus, he was an optimal target if there was meant to be any change in effect. At the same time, however, the audience actually extends to the students. If a student were to read the memo, the purpose would be for them to feel enticed to become more vocal about the mental health of their peers. Boudreau, to whom the memo was written for, was given the suggestion to meet with me in order to discuss my ideas regarding stress prevention.