Studies show that men are more prone to high-risk behavior, violence and suicide than women. But according to University Health Center director Dr. Gerald Fleischli, men are less likely to seek help for their problems.
To address that issue, a Men’s Health Team consisting of several students and staff members — including Fleischli — has proposed a campus Men’s Center aimed at creating an environment where men can go to get help and support. The health team is holding the first in a series of open meetings aimed at gathering student input on the center today from 3 to 4 p.m. in the EMU Rogue Room.
The proposed center is the result of more than three years of research by the health team and would operate as an ASUO program similar to the Women’s Center and would serve as a referral and information source for issues such as substance abuse, anger management and diversity issues. It would also sponsor and co-sponsor events aimed at improving overall men’s health.
“Men’s health is related to the whole male culture; hide your feelings and don’t ask for help,” Fleischli said.
Fleischli pointed to statistics indicating that men commit suicide as much as eight times as often as women.
Equally troubling to the Men’s Health Team were studies indicating that college-age men are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, engage in high-risk sex with multiple partners and commit academic infractions. At the University, men make up 80 percent of students referred to the administration with conduct concerns, according to Jon Davies, senior staff psychologist at the University Counseling Center.
Focus group research conducted by the health team found that University men felt they couldn’t ask for help, Davies said.
The most common reason for that hesitance, Davies said, was the “What will my buddies say?” attitude that is so common among men. Davies said that in one instance, a student told him that he once injured his hand during a basketball game with friends, but didn’t seek help until the next day because he didn’t want his friends to think he was weak. When he did get medical attention, he found out his hand was broken.
Because the attitudes that lead to that kind of behavior can also lead to problems such as sexual harassment and assault, the Men’s Health Team also sought input from the Women’s Center. Women’s Center members
reviewed the mission statement for the proposed Men’s Center and found it to be on track with their own mission, according to Women’s Center spokeswoman Kristina Armenakis.
Because the center is being created to address real men’s health issues rather than as a reaction to the Women’s Center, Armenakis said, the two centers will be able to work together to deal with issues affecting everyone.
“If you have a Men’s Center and a Women’s Center working on the same issues, it makes University events much stronger,” Armenakis said. “That will push the movement faster.”
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