Open Letter to Our Community: Regarding the Tragic Death of Trayvon Martin
On February 26th a devastating event occurred in which Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager wearing a hoodie, was shot and killed by a self-proclaimed neighborhood watch captain. As of March 29th, the shooter, George Zimmerman, has claimed self-defense and has not been arrested. In light of this recent tragedy, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Counseling Center would like to acknowledge that such an event not only impacts the nation and the world, but also has a significant impact on the members of our local university community. We believe that as a Center that values cultural diversity and sensitivity, we must take this opportunity to support the campus community with a timely and suitable response. We recognize that the Trayvon Martin tragedy may have evoked psychological concerns including vicarious trauma, concerns about community violence and racism, race related stress, feelings of isolation and disempowerment, among other distressing psychological and physiological concerns.
The Counseling Center mission is to provide effective and competent services for all students and support other faculty and professionals in their pursuit of the same. We would like to offer our support and services, which may be accessed by contacting (217) 333-3704. These services can be used to request an outreach program, individual or group consultation, or initial assessment for counseling. If you or your group would like a specific outreach response, please contact Dynesha Mason Grissom, ddmason@illinois.edu, the Outreach and Consultation Services Coordinator.
In Solidarity,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Counseling Center
Our Services
As members of the University of Illinois community, we provide services that are designed to help students reach a balanced Illinois experience, ranging from various counseling services, educational programming initiatives, training programs, outreach and consultation activities, to a wide variety of self-help materials. Staff members at the Counseling Center have extensive training and experience working with college students. In addition, staff members reflect much of the diversity that is found on campus and are committed to meeting the specific needs of individuals from a variety of backgrounds whenever possible.
Mission Statement
The Counseling Center is committed to providing a broad range of high quality, innovative, and ethical services that address the psychological, educational, social, and developmental needs of UIUC students. We also actively contribute to the campus’ broader academic mission by training and developing students and professionals, helping build a multicultural learning community, and providing leadership in forming collaborative partnerships among Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, the Graduate College and Administrative Affairs units.
