Student Wellness: University Charges $4,000 To Teach Freshmen To Tell Other Freshmen To Download Calm
Administrators said the peer-support model expands access by letting overwhelmed 18-year-olds redirect other overwhelmed 18-year-olds to an app.
A private university has launched a $4,000 student wellness course that teaches freshmen how to tell other freshmen to download Calm.
The three-credit class trains students to recognize distress signals, maintain soft eye contact, and pivot quickly toward a subscription meditation app before anyone asks whether the counseling center has appointments.
"Peer support is powerful," said associate dean of student thriving Lenora Pike. "Sometimes a student in crisis does not need a licensed clinician. Sometimes they need another 18-year-old named Brayden to say, 'Have you tried breathing?'"
Course materials include a campus lanyard, a referral script, and a laminated flowchart showing when to recommend journaling, hydration, or calling a parent who will make it worse.
The university said the program is already reducing waitlists by teaching students to stop entering the building.
