Saint Mary’s students will come together this week to shed light on issues students face and celebrate their strength as a community during “Support a Belle, Love a Belle” week.

“Support a Belle, Love a Belle” week starts Monday and aims to bring awareness to the issues of anxiety, depression and suicide that may sometimes go unnoticed on campus. Student Government Association (SGA) sponsors the week.

Senior Laura Glaub, SGA student services commissioner, said the week will be “full of engaging speakers, awareness campaigns and events with self-esteem groups on campus to help show the amazing resources we have at Saint Mary’s.”

Events for the week will include a brown bag lunch with the Women’s Health and Wellness to meet the counselors on campus, a picnic on Library Green for on-campus and off-campus students, a candlelight remembrance ceremony, a student support group run by a student and free giveaways for those wearing yellow ribbons in recognition of teen suicide prevention.    

SGA co-chairs, seniors Emily Skirtich and Cat Cleary, first proposed the idea for the week and Glaub said she was “on board right away.”

“I love Saint Mary’s and I love the people who go to school here because they inspire me every single day,” Glaub said.

She said the events will educate students on important issues that might not receive enough information inside or outside the classroom.

“We all take on [more than] we can handle, and we all feel stressed sometimes,” she said. “[At Saint Mary’s] we are a family, a community … we are full of compassionate and understanding faculty, professors and students, and I hope this week makes everyone remember or realize that.”

The SGA committee said it hopes students will have a better understanding of these issues and be more aware of the resources Saint Mary’s offers for depression and anxiety after the week.

“Our main goal is to make sure everyone knows that they are not alone,” Glaub said. “This week reminds me of a giant hug with everyone from Saint Mary’s in it.”