By JOHN VINCENT B. TORIBIO

Amid the Covid-19 crisis, the university launched e-SALUN-AT, an initiative to promote the mental health of its 125 stranded students. 

As part of the MMSU Saranay, the university’s multi-faceted program against Covid-19, the Office for Student Affairs and Services (OSAS) currently implements the ‘Electronic Space for Assistance thru Listening, Understanding, Nurturing, Affirmation and Trust’ (e-SALUN-AT) to provide psychosocial support and online counseling among the students. 

Dr. Elizabeth Marfel Gagni, OSAS director, stressed that “crisis situations could elicit various emotions such as anxiety, confusion, stress, isolation, grief and sadness caused by the students’ disrupted routines.” With this, the e-SALUN-AT aims to assure the relatives of the students that their mental well-being is boosted and their productivity is still encouraged even in the midst of the crisis. 

In this psychological intervention, college guidance counselors constantly reach out to their respective students through electronic and online platforms. The counselors seek to know the students’ current state and needs, thus, enabling them to immediately address their concerns. 

Facebook Messenger chat-groups were created for each college. Each group includes the stranded students, their respective deans, guidance counselors and the OSAS director. Here, the students are given a safe space to air their issues and challenges. Also, the counselors facilitate online activities, give pieces of advice, and share encouraging words to the students. 

Additionally, another chat-group was created which includes all the stranded students, the OSAS director and MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis.

Meanwhile, OSAS highlighted that students who are not confident to broadcast their concerns on the chat-groups are encouraged to send a personal message to their respective counselors for one-on-one counseling. 

“The office, particularly the Student Welfare unit, will work 24/7 for the e-SALUN-AT to effectively assist our students’ problems,” Gagni emphasized. She reiterated that the information being disclosed by the stranded students are strictly confidential. 

This intervention is along with other university initiatives for the stranded students. OSAS also weekly provides food rations or cash allowances to the students through the donations from various colleges.   

MMSU’s Saranay Program also includes the following: continued production and distribution of Nipahol, a 70% ethyl alcohol produced by its National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center (NBERIC); daily production of personal protective equipment or PPEs (i.e. facemasks and gowns); provision of food packs to university employees who are part of the skeleton workforce; provision of medical services to employees and stranded students; and, accommodation services for frontline health service providers. (StratCom)