By Casey Gannon
Students gathered at Hornbake Plaza Oct. 3 for the Department of Resident Life’s second annual Terps Take Care Fair, which aims to educate students on mental health and illness, as well as call attention to related resources this university offers.
Junior Karen Hernandez was at Terps Take Care Fair representing peer educators through the University Health Center.
“We want to promote self care and people taking care of themselves, and maybe show that there are ways to relieve stress,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez became a peer educator because she wanted to connect with other freshmen and have her voice heard on campus. She said the fair emphasizes that it’s okay to need extra help when dealing with mental health issues.
Junior marketing major Lidija Jurovich is a volunteer for Campus Advocates Respond and Educate (CARE).
“With CARE, we are trying to teach the community and get our name out a little bit more with outreach,” Jurovich said.
She said the Terps Take Care Fair was a good way to inform anyone struggling with mental health issues about the plethora of services offered by the university.
“It does a good job because it has so many services from so many backgrounds,” Jurovich said. “It’s very diverse. We have MICA here; we have the graduate students that are here; we have different things for different communities within UMD, which I think is really awesome.”
Cathy Loyd has worked with People Animals Love (PAL), one of the organizations at the fair, for the last nine years. She said she especially loves volunteering at the Terps Take Care Fair because of the way it addresses stigmas associated with mental illness.
“This is our favorite therapy visit that we do, and I volunteer in lots of places,” Loyd said. “I think they do a really good job of de-stigmatizing, and helping people realize that we all need a little de-stressing now and then.”
According to Loyd, therapy dogs are good stress relievers because they live in the moment — giving people a chance to do the same while they pet them.
“PAL does a really good job of connecting people with dogs with people in need,” Loyd said.
Hernandez emphasized that there are many students who struggle with stress and mental health, and the Terps Take Care Fair is just one way for these students to realize that there are resources available to help them.
“It allows students to realize it’s okay if you’re stressed or down,” Hernandez said. “There are a lot of resources here on campus that will allow you to get over that, and if you need help, they’re there for you.”