Please note: this email contains distressing news. We encourage all members of our community to visit www.georgetown.edu/EveryHoyaCares to connect with resources to support your mental and emotional well-being. Additional details on resources are contained in this message.
Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community,
With a heavy heart, I write to share the very sad news that Yingying Mei (SFS’22) passed away yesterday at an off-campus location. We have been in touch with Yingying’s family, who lives in the local area, and we are supporting them in this tragic time. We also are reaching out to members of the Georgetown community who lived, worked and studied alongside Yingying. Please join me in keeping Yingying’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
A student in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Yingying was majoring in Culture & Politics and minoring in Chinese. Through the Center for Social Justice, Research, Teaching & Service, she volunteered as an English literacy tutor with the DC Schools Project and participated in the Alternative Breaks Program. A resident of Kennedy Hall, Yingying was a Georgetown Community Scholar and a member of the Georgetown Scholars Program. She also served as an Undergraduate Writing Consultant in Georgetown’s Professional Writing Center.
We know this deeply upsetting news comes at an especially stressful time with the end of the semester, and we urge members of our community to visit www.georgetown.edu/EveryHoyaCares to access resources for your mental and emotional well-being. In addition to the resources provided, you can connect with your academic advisor or school dean if you are in need of academic support. Academic deans have been asked to provide as much flexibility as possible during this challenging time.
Student Resources
- Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS): If you are a student experiencing distress and would like to talk confidentially with a professional counselor, our CAPS counselors are ready and available to meet with you. To schedule an appointment with CAPS, students may call (202) 687-6985 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. CAPS will also have extended hours today and Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. After hours support is also available by calling the main CAPS line. To speak to someone urgently both after hours and during business hours, students should call the CAPS main line at (202) 687-6985 and dial 1 to speak immediately with a licensed clinician.
- HoyaWell: All degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students have access to 24/7/365 telemental health services from anywhere in the United States at no cost to you. HoyaWell lets you talk to a mental health professional from your smartphone or any web-enabled device through a video or voice visit. There are three available services: TalkNow (24/7, on-demand access to mental health support to talk about anything at any time), scheduled counseling and psychiatry.
- The Office of Campus Ministry is available to students during business hours by calling (202) 687- 5259 (Main Campus). Residential ministers will be available in all residence halls for student support.
- Student Outreach and Support (SOS) is a non-confidential resource offering support to students experiencing crises, difficult personal circumstances or unexpected transitions that interrupt a student’s course of study. SOS can help students navigate university systems and resources, including connections to academic deans, the Academic Resource Center or other support offices.
Faculty and Staff Resources
- The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) provides free confidential counseling and referral services to faculty, AAPs and staff. For more information, visit http://hr.georgetown.edu/fsap or call (202) 687-2396.
- Faculty and staff can use the Mindset program to connect with fast, convenient, confidential and free one-on-one mental health help over video appointments through One Medical, a national primary care network.
We will share more information about memorial services as they become available. For now, I know you will join me in mourning the loss of a valued member of the Georgetown community and hope you will reach out to one another and seek support in our community.
Jeanne Lord, Ed.D.
Dean of Students and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs