Princeton Needs to Actively Engage with Students’ Mental Health

We should expect more out of Princeton in regards to providing mental health support services after the recent tragic death of a freshman. I did a simple internet search and found this incredibly beautiful and talented young woman was Ted Sorensen’s granddaughter — Sorensen was the brilliant speechwriter for Kennedy and Johnson who essentially wrote Profiles in Courage and helped write, “Ask not your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” The University and we, the Princeton community, have really failed our young students by not providing them with enough mental health education and resources. The elevation of over-achievement above mental well-being is a campus culture that needs to be actively challenged by the administration and faculty. Maybe it is time Princeton asks, what can Princeton do for students’ mental health, how can we show our students that they are worthy and loved, before we lose another talented young person?