Ohio State coach Ryan Day will speak at the Archie M. Griffin Ballroom on Thursday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo editor
Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day will give a talk on mental health, followed by a question-and-answer session in the Ohio Union’s Archie M. Griffin Ballroom on Thursday.
Led by Wellness Advocacy – a student organization focused on promoting mental and physical wellness – free event will highlight the wellness resources Ohio State has to offer and shed light on Day’s personal experiences in order to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
Caroline Stollar, president of Wellness Advocacy and a fourth-year public affairs and strategic communications major, said Day will discuss how she defines resilience.
“He will also talk about how he cultivated a support system and how it can benefit him,” Stollar said. “I think that’s also very important as a college student, to have friends or family or whatever it may ask of you.”
Peer Educators, Undergraduate Student Government, Ohio Union Activities Board and Block O also partnered with Wellness Advocacy for the event, according to the event website.
Emma Schueler, vice president of event planning for Wellness Advocacy and a fourth-year economics major, said seeing someone like Day discuss mental health is helpful for students because it shows them that everyone struggles.
“I think having a conversation about mental health and just emotional well-being from such a towering figure that people idolize, especially here at Ohio State, someone like Coach Day, really breaks down those barriers and says, ‘OK , good. if he says he’s doing all this focus on his mental health, then I can do that,” Schueler said.
This isn’t the first time Day has tackled mental health resources. Day in April 2022 gave a keynote speech on his mental health experiences. He and his wife, Nina, also made one $1 million donation at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine in August 2022 to promote mental health resources.
Audrey Strohmeyer, a third-year human development and family sciences major and member of Peer Educators — a mental health and wellness organization for student-athletes — said the event is important because it provides student-athletes with tangible tools and resources to their mental health.
“All students have busy lives, but student-athlete life is a little different in terms of how we work our days,” Strohmeyer said. “I think it’s important to show how the resources here at Ohio State are used for what we do.”
Strohmeyer said student-athletes can submit questions specific to their experiences for the Q&A portion of the event.
“There’s a variety of signage options as well as student athlete support services signage that will be there,” Strohmeyer said.
Stollar said students can submit questions about the Day when they register for the event online. Tickets can be reserved until the day of the event.
“Conversations can make a difference, and creating this space for students to understand that this is normal is really great,” Stollar said.
Doors open at 4:30pm on Thursday and attendees must have a valid BuckID to enter. Registration is available at go.osu.edu/MentalHealthTalk.
