While fraternity life is often characterized by party culture and social hierarchies, the brothers of Alpha Delta Phi (ADP) at the University of Rochester are choosing a different path — one rooted in vulnerability, wellness, and community support.
ADP hosted a men’s mental health awareness event on April 13, open to all fraternities on campus, featuring speakers from the Rochester chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
“We wanted to kind of educate our fraternity as well as just the general male population on campus about how they can deal with their mental health,” said Junior Alaap Rag, Vice President of ADP. “We realized there’s nothing for us to do specifically unless we educate ourselves first…in order to help other people, we wanted to learn how we can help other people.”
The men’s mental health workshop event hosted Board President of NAMI Michael Murphy, Board VP John Messenger, and Board Member Ryan Thibodeau. The talk began by discussing the fact that men are less likely than women to be diagnosed with mental health conditions, and how this problem arose due to the “glorification of the strong, silent type,” which is a symptom of the deep-seated cultural norms that favor self-sufficiency in traditional masculinity.
The three guest speakers from NAMI stand with Alaap Rag (second from left), VP of ADP.
Throughout the talk, the guest speakers and the audience discussed the negative stereotypes of being a psychiatric patient, the origin of these views, the cultural and generational differences in men’s mental health, and how the media — for better or for worse — has impacted the stigma around men’s mental health. At the end of the talk, the speakers distributed resources with numbers to call, people and organizations to reach out to, and suggestions for ways that frat brothers could support each other mentally.
“Whether or not we’ve personally been affected by poor mental health, we’ve seen another brother go through it,” said junior Brandon Sookoo, Secretary of ADP. “And I think sometimes, it can feel kind of powerless. So we just wanted to be able to empower brothers with the resources or practices that they need. And also kind of switching the culture around talking about mental health in Greek life.”
Being a fraternity member often comes with preconceived notions, especially about masculinity. Rag noted that the stigma surrounding mental health is especially perceived in men in Greek life.
“The stereotypical fraternity man is supposed to be a little bit more macho and not supposed to show their emotions,” he said.
But more than just ADP are working to shatter those stereotypes, as frats across UR make moves toward social responsibility, such as Sig Ep’s recent collaboration with the 19th Ward community in the Spelling Bee.
Many Greek life houses have a risk manager, whose role is traditionally to look after people and make sure people are safe at their parties.
But risk management doesn’t just pertain to parties. It is also important in the day-to-day lives of the frat brothers. “This is a competitive school,” junior Nathan Weiss, President of ADP, said. “And that can take a toll on students. I see this every week. This is outside of fraternities as well as sororities. You just go, you work, and a lot of times you end up back in your room after studying. You got that feeling, man, I tried my best, and I feel like it’s not enough. And that can be a very painful feeling.” This is the reason why they take brotherhood seriously, as Weiss explained.
The fraternity has earned recognition for its efforts in Risk Management, winning multiple risk management and harm reduction awards from both the University and the international organization for ADP.
The fraternity has also been working on establishing its new health and wellness committee. “They’ve already been effective in helping some of our friends here, which has been very nice to see,” Weiss added.
In line with their commitment to supporting the community and fostering wellness, ADP will also be having a Clothing and Book Drive starting in May.
