I have a psychological disorder. This is the first time I have told anyone who isn’t a close friend or relative.

I am sharing this information because I want other students on campus to know that they are not alone.

The recent influx of stories about students in our community who have gone to the Counseling Center, only to be dismissed from the university, seems daunting.

The center’s Web site is inviting and seductive, saying that they want to help. There are sections on panic and anxiety disorders, sexual assault, self-mutilation, etc. They assure confidentiality and understanding.

So why did these students have their confidentiality agreements broken, and eventually find themselves dismissed from the university?

I believe that the university does not want to deal with students who have certain psychological disorders because they either do not know how to treat them, or they do not want to be held accountable in case something would happen to the student.

I’m not blaming the Counseling Center; the fault for these situations does not rest solely on their shoulders. I think that it is a combination of efforts, or lack there of, from the Counseling Center and Judicial Affairs.

I know of a student here on campus who has been dealing with Judicial Affairs ever since the beginning of the semester. She took a few too many aspirins, got sick, and her roommate told the paramedics that she was trying to commit suicide. The student did not attempt anything except to rid herself of a headache and misjudged her dose after not eating all day.

This student is now under probation with Judicial Affairs. She was moved out of her first building into an entirely new one. She is afraid that she might get dismissed from the university, and her fears grew after reading the stories about Jill Manges and Nichole D’Antonio.

These cases have done nothing but to discourage students with issues to keep themselves hidden. I know that it turned me off from making any appointments with the Counseling Center because of the effects of my condition and their similarities to those of Jill Manges.

We are not our problems. We are simply people who must overcome more obstacles than others.

We need the help, and we should not have to be afraid to ask for it.