Aloha Yellow Jackets,

I hope you have had a positive and productive start to the Fall semester! As the sights and senses of autumn begin to permeate the Atlanta weather, I know many of you are either already facing the first round of major exams – or about to. For this month’s newsletter, we will address the following topics:

• Support is Available. How Can You Access it?
• What Role Should AI Play at Georgia Tech?
• Civil Discourse Training, Perspectives, Has Launched

Support is Available. How Can You Access It? 
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, making this an important time to remember that seeking support is a sign of courage and strength, not weakness. Many students experience periods of stress, anxiety, loneliness, uncertainty, or feeling overwhelmed throughout the academic year. When challenges arise, knowing where to get help can make a notable difference. Georgia Tech offers a number of services designed to support your physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. These include Stamps Health Services, Center for Mental Health Care & Resources, Wellness Empowerment Center, Belonging & Student Support, Dean of Students Office (including interfaith services), and Students’ Temporary Assistance & Resources (STAR) for basic needs. 

The Student Resource Guide (always linked at the top of this newsletter) provides a comprehensive, current directory of services, offices, and support programs available to students. A similar guide is available for fully-online students. Even with these resources being available, over the last few weeks, I’ve heard from students repeatedly that they don’t always know how to access these services. Let’s focus on two of the most frequently accessed ones for supporting health.

Stamps Health Services offers Primary Care (including Men's Health and Sports Medicine), Women's Health, and Psychiatry services, preventive health services such as flu vaccine and STI screening, and ancillary services including lab and radiology services and a pharmacy. The mandatory student health fee that students pay covers unlimited visits to a clinician in Primary Care and Women’s Health, as well as limited visits to Psychiatry; other services may require a nominal fee which can be paid using a BuzzCard or credit card. Georgia Tech also offers vision care and dental care through other providers, who assess additional fees and accept many insurance plans.

Students can make an appointment with Stamps in person, via the Patient Portal, or by calling (404) 894-1420 and speaking with one of the appointment desk staff. Note that appointments for the Psychiatry Clinic are available by visiting the Center for Mental Health Care & Resources. Appointments in Women’s Health are available by phone at 404-894-1434; a limited number of routine appointments may be scheduled through the Patient Portal. Stamps is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., except Thursday when they open at 9 a.m. Stamps is located at 740 Ferst Drive; there is very limited free parking nearby so students are urged to walk or take a Stinger Shuttle bus – both the Blue and Gold routes stop directly outside of Stamps. 

Center for Mental Health Care & Resources (CMHCR) offers short-term individual counseling, group counseling, couples counseling, crisis intervention, testing and assessment, and referral to support services, as well as mental health workshops and consultation for faculty and staff, family and friends of Georgia Tech students. All services are confidential and free of charge for students currently registered at Georgia Tech in a degree-seeking program. A student must be registered in the current semester to utilize our services. If a student is on co-op or internship and not registered for classes, or in a non-degree seeking program CMHCR can provide appropriate referrals for services. Note that students who need long-term, ongoing mental health care will be referred to non-Georgia Tech providers for services. 

To schedule an appointment for an initial assessment to explore counseling options (including psychiatry services), please walk into our main location in Suite 238 of the Charles A. Smithgall, Jr. Student Services Building (SSB) at 353 Ferst Drive, or call us at 404-894-2575. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and the Student Center (W02) parking deck is located right next door – available by permit or for a fee. After hours, students may call 404-894-2575 and select the option to speak to the after-hours counselor. 

Through the Satellite Counseling Program, mental health professional staff have been embedded into Georgia Tech colleges and schools. They offer immediate and local access to the students within those majors and offer weekly walk-in availability to students needing an informal consultation. In addition, CMHCR offers specialized services, such as the Collegiate Recovery Program for students who are in recovery from substance use. Lastly, as part of the University System of Georgia’s Mental Health Initiative, Georgia Tech has partnered with Uwill to offer additional virtual mental health services, which be accessed via UWill’s website. 

What Role Should AI Play at Georgia Tech?
Georgia Tech is in the middle of revising and updating its interim policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Academic & Research Contexts. Guidance is being collaboratively developed and disseminated by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Information Technology. The conversations happening at Georgia Tech mirror a much larger national (and global) discussion. 

Based on a June 2026 poll, Gallup found that from 2025 to 2026, the proportion of Americans surveyed who “use AI always, often or sometimes at work or school and/or in personal life” rose from 39% to 51%. During that same time period, skepticism rose: 32% said they “fully or somewhat trust AI to make fair, unbiased decisions,” compared to 28% in 2026.  Over twice as many people (65%) distrust AI as trust it, and those who fully trust AI remains at only 2%. In addition, those polled (especially younger adults) are more pessimistic than they were last year about what AI means for the U.S. economy. Pew Research Center uncovered similar trends in their September 2025 report. 

These findings resonated with many of the viewpoints shared by Georgia Tech students during Real Talk Thursdays. This month, we relaunched our in-person student town hall series, and we began piloting virtual sessions to reach our fully-online students. During each of the three sessions we hosted, we shared research data and then we asked participants via Mentimeter polling:

"Thinking about these findings, what role do you think AI should play in the student experience at Georgia Tech?"

While responses varied, several common themes emerged:

• AI as a learning support tool; not a learning replacement: There was broad support for the use of AI to aid students in learning, research, understanding new concepts, and accessing information. However, AI was not viewed as a valid substitute for the learning process itself.
• Preserving human thinking, creativity, cognitive development: Students shared concerns that increased AI use may contribute to a decline in critical think skills, creativity, and knowledge development. Some commented on how engaging in the learning process without the help of AI led to greater cognitive gains.
• Keeping humans at the center: Students expressed a desire for ongoing human involvement in interpersonal interactions and decision making (e.g., advising, mental health support, sensitive situations, and communications). AI-generated course content and communications is also a source of frustration for students.  
• Responsible and ethical AI governance: Students want clearer guidance on acceptable classroom use, greater transparency regarding AI product decisions and contracts, and stronger attention to ethics.
• Critical awareness of AI risks and long-term impact: Students commented on AI usage beyond the classroom environment, noting the difference between information and truth and hesitation to use AI in high-stakes situations while encouraging Georgia Tech to evaluate societal, environmental, and ethical implications of AI.

As Georgia Tech continues to develop guidance related to AI use, your input remains important. The best policies are not simply created for a community; they are informed by the people who will be most impacted by them. Creating an environment where AI is used thoughtfully, responsibly, and effectively will require ongoing, open dialogue among students, faculty, and staff.

What Do You Think? I want to ask all students the same question we posed during Real Talk Thursdays: What role do you think AI should play in the student experience at Georgia Tech? Please take a moment to complete the one-question survey linked below. Your feedback will help inform future conversations about technology, learning, innovation, and academic integrity across our campus community.

Survey: https://gatech.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eFKXAkvO1AzHP9k

Civil Discourse Training, Perspectives, Has Launched
This month marks the launch of Perspectives, Georgia Tech's civil discourse training program required for all new undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students. Since August 2025, all incoming first-time Georgia Tech students, including transfer and fully online students, have been required by University System of Georgia policy to complete this asynchronous, online training. Perspectives(developed Constructive Dialogue Institute, or CDI) is designed to help students navigate differences of opinion with curiosity, care and compassion, and as such supports Georgia Tech's strategic value that, "We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression."

If you are a new or transfer student and have not yet completed Perspectives, please remember that it is required and must be completed by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 31, 2026. Check your Georgia Tech email for your invitation from vp_sewb@gatech.edu and information on how to access the course. Continuing students who did not take the course last year but are interested in doing so can email vp_sewb@gatech.edu to receive access to the Perspectives portal. First-year undergraduate students, Perspectives is your FYRE Activity for occupational wellness. Complete the course next week for pathway credit.

Closing Thoughts

As always, I encourage you to stay connected, support one another, and take advantage of the many resources available to help you thrive. Thank you for all that you do to contribute to a vibrant community that is compassionate and intellectually curious. I remain continually inspired by your resilience, creativity, and willingness to engage thoughtfully with the opportunities and challenges that impact our world.

In progress & service,