For universities in the United Kingdom these are the moments when top level communications channels become essential conduits for support, resources, and a shared sense of sadness and resilience.
Whilst the British are known for keeping calm and literally carrying on both during and after times of tragedy, emotions run just as deep in the UK as anywhere else in the world.
According to a recent article in The Guardian, “the number of students to drop out of university with mental health problems has more than trebled in recent years.”
It's vital that universities provide a unified, supportive response to a tragedy. If institutional social media accounts seemingly skip over a horrific event as if it didn't happen, that's not "keeping on," that's bottling up emotions that need to be addressed. Expressing support through social media is important. It lets individuals who are members of your campus community know that they are not alone and that their feelings are completely normal.
Thankfully, most UK university social media accounts were filled this week with messages of support for Manchester, links to campus counseling resources, and information on community-wide moments of silence. The idea being that business as usual is the mantra, but support is there if and when you need it.
The tweets embedded below are but just a small fraction of the outpouring of support via social media from UK universities this week:
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