Across disciplines at Binghamton University, students may have noticed an extra paragraph at the end of the syllabuses for their classes, informing them of the support services that are offered at BU.

The paragraph, which was written and promoted by the Dean of Students office, encourages students to reach out to either their professors or resources offered by BU if they are struggling to manage their personal or academic stress levels during the semester.

These resources are designed to help students responsibly manage their stress and include, but are not limited to, the Dean of Students office, Decker Student Health Services Center, the University Counseling Center (UCC) and the University Police. Depending on the professor’s preference, the paragraph may be accompanied by a chart listing the phone numbers for the different services.

The Dean of Students office works to foster student learning and development by helping develop individualized plans to deal with issues affecting students. These issues can range from academic struggles to food scarcity. To help manage any issues that may arise during the course of the semester, the UCC provides free, confidential counseling by professional counselors to all currently enrolled students. Decker Student Health Services Center and the University Police work to maintain student’s health and safety throughout the semester.

While the short blurb’s inclusion in syllabuses is not mandatory, it is available to all professors if they wish to include it in their syllabus. The Dean of Students office is hopeful that many will choose to add the information so that students will reach out before they become overwhelmed and begin to struggle with the rigors of the academic semester.

Woodson Agte, a senior majoring in English, said he hopes that the proactive nature of the wording will help students have an easier time navigating the difficulties of college life.

“I think it’s great more attention is being paid to mental health,” Agte said. “Too often, students have issues that go unchecked and that can lead to unfortunate consequences, in my case failing out of school after freshman year. I think it’s definitely worthwhile that students be made aware of the resources available to them regarding these issues, and even more than that, encouraged to take advantage of them.”

For many professors, including the paragraph was an obvious choice. Melissa Zinkin, an associate professor of philosophy at BU, said she hopes that the mention of the Student Support Services at BU could help students know that the faculty understands their struggles.

“I want students to know that the faculty at Binghamton want them to succeed,” Zinkin wrote in an email. “If something is preventing someone from doing well in my class, I am happy to help them find a way to solve that problem.”

James Garvey, an undeclared sophomore, said that while not all students struggle, having these resources available is beneficial.

“I was definitely able to handle the stress most of the time last year,” Garvey said. “But it’s still nice knowing that the school knows how hard things can be. It’s nice knowing that they offer support.”