Operators at 8-to-8 are standing by

The lovely folks at 8-to-8 write:

Drop/Add stressing you out? Roommate driving you crazy already? Need a new ear to vent to about the elections? Just want to talk it out? Call 8 to 8, your friendly confidential/anonymous student listening service.

Reach us at 860 685-7789 every night from 7 PM to 7 AM.

Not even we know why we're not called 7 to 7. But you could call to talk about that, too.

8-to-8 is back for the semester

8-to-8, the anonymous listening service, sent us this:

We are an on-campus student-run, anonymous and confidential listening service. We practice "non-directive peer listening." This means we don't give advice, we listen to you and talk to you to help you calm down if you're stressed, find solutions that work for you if you have a specific problem, or find coping mechanisms if you're just having trouble dealing. We're also here to lend an ear if you're feeling lonely, or just talkative.

We also have a bookcase of information, google.com at our fingertips, plus a huge rolodex of resources we can refer you to, from local pizza places to local therapists to national hotlines.

In the past, we conducted a survey and found out that lots of Wesleyan students don't know that our listeners have gone through an intensive month-long training process before they start answering calls. Nor were students aware that we have specific training and experience in talking to people who are dealing with all kinds of concerns. FYI, here are some possible topics of conversation:

• alcohol
• body image
• class
• dating
• death and dying
• depression
• drugs
• eating disorders
• family
• friends
• gender
• grief
• homework
• hook-ups
• race and ethnicity
• relationships
• religion
• sexual assault
• sexual health
• sexual orientation
• sexuality
• stds and stis
• stress

You can call to talk about anything, whether or not it's on that list. We don't tell you who we are and we never ask you to identify yourself; it's totally anonymous--no, we don't have caller i.d.--and completely confidential. If you're feeling bored,
confused, frustrated, scared, overwhelmed... or if you just want to talk to someone, give us a call at x7789 anytime between 7pm and 7am, 7 days a week.

You can reach 8-to-8 at 860 685-7789.

8-to-8 Information Session

8-to-8, Wesleyan's student run confidential listening service, is holding info sessions for students interested in working as listeners. Think you got listening skillz? Then come to Meeting Room 2 in the campus center at any of the following times:

• Thursday, September 21, 12-1pm and 8-9pm
• Friday, September 22, 12-1pm
• Monday, September 25, 12-1pm and 8-9pm

8-to-8 operates from 7pm to 7am, 7 days a week, whenever classes are in session. Need to know the hours for Weshop? Want to vent about your roommate? Stressed about your thesis? Worried about making friends? Call 8-to-8 at x7789 with any issue, large or small.