Guest TigerBlog: Jess Deutsch ’91

As you know, TigerBlog has a standing offer to anyone who has something they want to say (in an appropriate way). 

Very few actually take him up on this offer, but it is out there.

To the list of contributors that through the years has included Howard Levy, Jim Barlow, David Rosenfeld and Tad La Fountain, you can add Jess Deutsch, Class of 1991, who earned a varsity letter for women’s tennis and is now associate director for student-athlete services here at Princeton.

Jess, the floor is yours:

As Associate Director, Student-Athlete Services, part of the Team Around The Team for Princeton Athletics, I am grateful to have a behind the scenes, front row seat for what it takes to be A TIGER as a Princeton student-athlete. When I say “be A TIGER” I am referring to the values that we emphasize in the department:  being Accountable, Team-oriented, having Integrity, and a Growth-mindset, being Engaged, and Respectful. On a daily basis, I see the commitment and passion that coaches and student-athletes invest in the student-athlete experience here. They are attempting to integrate performance at the highest level on every front—in the classroom, on the playing field, in promising life stories yet to unfold. It’s impressive. It is inspiring. It is not always lights-out jumbotron kinds of exciting—but sometimes I think it is in the anonymous Monday to Thursday, out-of-season moments that Tigers are really made.

Last night was a great example of what happens when hardly anyone is looking. Namely, Director of Athletic Medicine Margot Putukian, Director of Performance, Jason Gallucci, Associate Athletic Director, Kelly Widener and I joined over sixty varsity student-athletes, our Student-Athlete Wellness Leaders (SAWLs) to be trained by Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, Calvin Chin, on Princeton Distress Awareness Response (PDAR). The session was organized by the SAWL Executive Leadership Team of Grace Baylis ’20, Ramzi Haddad ’20, Ben Bograd ’21, Lauren McGrath ’21 and Keller Maloney ’22.

PDAR is an interactive session on the signs and symptoms to watch out for in students and others who may be in distress, and to arm participants with the tools needed to effectively respond. It was created to connect students in mental health distress to support and resources; to train community members how to recognize the signs of distress and how to intervene, and to create a campus community that is visibly and actively engaged in talking about mental health and stopping suicide.

Dr. Chin provided context about mental health statistics at Princeton (a majority of Princeton students have felt very lonely in the last year; almost half have experienced depression but only a small fraction of those sought services; more than two thirds have experienced “extreme overwhelm.”) He walked the group through the continuum of stress to distress, the indicators (behavioral, academic, social, and athletic—and how these can be intertwined) that someone might be struggling, how to ask open-ended questions that are more likely to result in engagement, the listening skills that build trust, and how to directly ask what might be the most difficult question—if someone is struggling so much they are thinking of suicide. He reiterated what the research tells us—that asking the question isn’t going to place the idea in someone’s mind, but it is going to tell them that you care and are concerned. Dr. Chin reviewed the options available to you as a concerned teammate or friend—and those that we all need to know. CPS supports the psychological well-being of the Princeton University community, available at no cost to currently enrolled Princeton students and their eligible dependents. 

It was late after a long day that had included early lift, classes, practice, studying, and, probably more to follow. But the student-athletes that attended the training stayed with Dr. Chin. They participated actively (What does distress look like in a classroom setting? How about at practice?)  They asked serious questions, (How much do you push if someone says they don’t want to talk but you know they are going through something?) They simulated having conversations with each other as if one person was struggling and the other was trying to listen and provide support. The consensus was the hardest part is not giving advice when advice could come across as pressure, or judgement, or just not the kind of listening that would be most effective. “It takes practice,” Dr. Chin told them. This is a group that knows how to practice. How to fall down, but get back up. How to hit a bump in the road, and keep going. As an alum, and as an athletics administrator, It makes me hopeful to see their resilience, their empathy, and their care for each other. These qualities show up, because they are real, and they are what we need most in the world right now.

With PDAR training behind them, Princeton’s Student Athlete Wellness Leaders are a part of a campus-wide effort to be able to spot distress, have the tools, and be committed to responding proactively. So when you see them (and this is the only advice I’ll offer-- you should go watch them!) making layups, scoring goals, or breaking records-- because they do (did you know we just won our 500^th Ivy League Championship???)  -- just know that winning (a lot!)  is only a part of what it means to be A TIGER.

Thanks to Dr. Chin, CPS, and the Student-Athlete Wellness leaders for making Princeton a better connected, more responsive campus, one sometimes maybe awkward, but definitely important conversation at a time.

GO TIGERS.