A variety of mental health service providers, campus resources and campus and community organizations will be at the event, such as My Sister’s Place, Health Recovery Services, National Alliance on Mental Illness and others.

The Ohio University Interfraternity Council (IFC) will host a Mental Health Fair from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, in Baker Ballroom. The event is free and open to the general public, but is aimed for college students aged 18 to 22. 

A variety of mental health service providers, campus resources and campus and community organizations will be at the event, such as My Sister’s Place, Health Recovery Services, National Alliance on Mental Illness, OHIO Campus Recreation, Better Bystanders and others. 

According to Drew Sauvey, vice president of programming for OHIO’s IFC, the purpose of the event is to spread awareness about mental health and its role in the lives of college students, while also giving resources to those who need it. 

He added the OHIO IFC wants to create an environment where people feel comfortable talking about mental health, and the group wants to get rid of the negative stigma that can often arise with bringing up one’s own mental health.

“Being away from home for the first time in one’s life can create additional stress trying to balance academics, work and social life,” Sauvey said. “Sometimes people don’t know where to start or how to ask for help, whether it’s for themselves or someone else. There are so many resources out on college campuses that many people don’t know about, so events like this help highlight them and show people that they aren’t alone.”

Matt Rhyand, OHIO IFC advisor, said he hopes the event will be a great way to begin continuing conversations about mental health on campus, but especially within the male and fraternity populations. 

“These are often groups who may not take advantage of these services,” Rhyand explained, “so we want to ensure that we can help benefit as many people as possible.”