In honor of Mental Awareness Month, fast-food chain Burger King has introduced “Real Meals” to increase understanding about issues surrounding mental well-being.

This recent campaign is not only a collaboration with nonprofit organization Mental Health America (MHA), it is also taking jabs at fast-food chain McDonald’s Happy Meals. Burger King understands that not everyone is happy all the time, and as part of their campaign, they’ve swapped out their “Have It Your Way” slogan to “Feel Your Way.”

In a recent statement on bustle.com, president and chief executive of MHA Paul Gionfriddo said, “While not everyone would think about pairing fast food and mental health, MHA believes in elevating the conversation in all communities to address mental illness before Stage 4.”

According to MHA’s website, Stage 4 of Mental Health is the combination of extreme, prolonged and persistent symptoms and impairment often resulting in the development of other health conditions and has the potential to turn into a crisis event like unemployment, hospitalization, homelessness or even incarceration.

MHA’s website also states, 50 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, and half those people will develop conditions by the age of 14. MHA’s Before Stage 4 campaign hopes to address mental health issues before anyone reaches that point.

Five limited-edition themed Whopper meal boxes were introduced as the Real Meals. There is the pissed in red, blue for sad, salty in teal, yaaas in purple and “don’t give a f” (DGAF) in black. Since the campaign is relatively new, the Real Meals have only been introduced in a few major cities, including Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Miami.

Burger King has also introduced a 2-minute ad introducing the Real Meals and why Mental Health conditions should be recognized more frequently. Since the ad has aired, it has been deemed controversial as many people have commented on the campaign and its ad either praising or criticizing it.

From a statement on campaignlive.com, Doctor Kate Ryan said, “The problem with this campaign is that it doesn’t read as authentic or genuine for the brand. While mental health awareness is an extremely worthy topic that sounded fun and flashy in the room, it was never sense-checked on whether it was true to the brand or of the mental health crisis in America.”

Marketing futurist Tony Chapman on LinkedIn said, “What I can’t stomach is the connection back to sales. If BK had followed one of two paths, 100 percent supporting mental health through their foundation or using their Unhappy Meals as a fun way to poke the McBear, my sentiments would be different.”

Burger King may have its criticizers for the approach they took on mental health awareness, but they also found many individuals who supported the campaign and how Burger King has shined a light on a much-needed issue in America.

Chabot student Mary Awuku said, “Yes, I do support Burger King’s efforts to acknowledge mental awareness because it gives attention to a diverse set of customers, and it is surprising.”

Ashna Narayan, Chabot student, said, “I would definitely get the meal to support the cause. The majority of customers go through a depressive state of mind almost every day, so for them to acknowledge it helps others know they’re not alone.”

Both supporters and critics of the campaign will be awaiting Burger King’s next move with Mental Awareness Month.

Chabot College is planning a transformation for its campus by introducing the Facilities Master Plan (FMP). The FMP is one of Chabot College’s long-ranging documents that identifies areas of the campus buildings, grounds, parking, and facilities that will be improved in the future.

The purpose of the FMP is to establish a plan for the future campus that will include more lecture spaces to support all Divisions, more indoor and outdoor spaces for student interactions, and more efficient and safer pathways through the campus and its surrounding community.

The prior college FMP was completed in 2012 and has been the planning document used during the past six years. It is traditionally updated every five to seven years to address changes on the campus and identify new program facility needs.

One of the FMP’s top priorities to design is the new Library and Learning Connection Building. It will become the main focal point of Chabot College and will be built at the Grand Court of Chabot College.

At first, the new Building 100 was not a part of the FMP project. Funding was insufficient for this idea to become a reality with Bond Measure B. Once Measure A was funded, the Facilities and Infrastructure Technology (FIT) Committee immediately identified and voted on Building 100 as one of the top priority projects, which was consistent with Measure A.

Chabot Library Dean Amy Mattern said, “Building 100 has long been the focal point of Chabot College. The Library and Learning Connection are hubs of learning, innovation, collaboration, and intellectual curiosity now, and we hope to continue and grow this in the new facility.”

The new building has not yet been fully designed, but tri-chairs of the Building 100 group plans envision a space that better reflects students’ current needs. Outreach and Instruction Librarian Pedro Reynoso said, “This will not be your “traditional” library. The building will have more collaborative spaces, more study group rooms, and also individual study spaces that reflect students’ study habits at Chabot.”

Tri-chairs of Building 100 also plan to make the new building more technology-friendly for students. Reynoso said, “We want to have spaces for students to showcase their work throughout the building, either through interactive displays and/or via electronic technology.”

There is no timetable set for when precisely the new Building 100 will be finished. Reynoso said, “We are in the beginning phase of the building process. We are currently in the middle of the visioning process, which will then take us to the schematic design, followed by the approval of the State Architect Office.”

Mattern said, “We will work with our consultants to get input from various folks around campus, including students about visions and needs for the building. In August, we will have a report on our findings and recommendations on what will be in the building and how everything might be situated.”

Consistent with the original 1960s campus layout the new FMP plans to keep, the new Library and Learning Connection building will be surrounded by the core academic, administrative and student support buildings.

The rest of the project that the FMP plans to accomplish includes removing a total of 15 outdated buildings according to the College and instead are planning to add 10 new state-of-the-art buildings. Some of the new buildings include arts and media, medical and dental, and a college center.

The campus is still in the early stages for Measure A. Top college leadership alongside the district facilities management will determine the budget for the entire FMP project.

Vice Chancellor of Facilities, Bond Programs, and Operations Owen Letcher said, “The District will invest a total of approximately 800,000 dollars to complete the individual Facility Master Plans for Chabot College, Las Positas College, and the District Office. Funding is provided by Bond Measures A and B.”

The new FMP will go into effect when adopted by the board of trustees in June 2019. Draft Documents are uploaded onto the Chabot College website with more information on the entire construction project.

There are many Chabot College students in English classes that may face challenges when dealing with their reading and writing assignments and don’t know where to go for help. Fortunately, the WRAC center, located in building 100, room 108, offers free peer tutoring and other resources to help benefit students in their reading and writing.

The WRAC center stands for Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum, and students are welcomed to stop by whenever they feel that they need help on any assignment.

The WRAC center offers drop-in tutoring with no appointments necessary, and drop-in sessions can be provided for 20 minutes during specified hours with the help from trained peer tutors and English/ESL (English as a Second Language) instructors. Appointments can also be made at the Chabot College website, and these sessions are offered for 50 minutes.

Aside from tutoring sessions, the WRAC center also has other resources for students such as books, a computer lab with printing access, small study rooms, and even reading and writing workshops.

“I love our tutors,” said Shoshanna Tenn, WRAC center coordinator. “I hire them, I interview them, and I do the training as well. They have to be recommended by an English instructor and have to have taken English 1A or higher and pass with a grade of an A or B.” Currently, there are 11 tutors for the WRAC center, and once they are hired, they are then trained on how to work with students on assignments and help with whatever the student is struggling in.

One tutor for the WRAC center Isa Mari De Leon said, “I never came to the WRAC center as a student. I wish I had sought out the WRAC center as a resource earlier, especially as a first-semester student at Chabot College because it would’ve made my transition to college easier in that it would’ve helped me understand what college professors are looking for in written assignments.”

Although the WRAC center may only offer help specifically in reading and writing, students are still welcomed to come to the WRAC center for help in assignments other than English. “I’m trained to tutor in English, though students have come to me for help in a wide variety of subjects, including communications, history, and business,” said Isa Mari De Leon. “The reason why we’re called the WRAC center and not the English center is because we welcome students who need help with reading and writing assignments outside of English courses.”

Overall, students that have gone to the WRAC center have had great experiences. Chabot college student Vanessa Khamphoune said, “My experience with the WRAC center has been great. The people there are accommodating.”

Chabot College student Geovanni Campos said, “The WRAC center has helped me with my needs because they really took the time to help you and make sure that you are on the right path to success.” As of right now, I’m getting help mostly on my essays for my English class, but I encourage more students to head there for more information that they can use for their subjects and get a better understanding of what they may be struggling in.”

The WRAC center is open from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays.

The WRAC center is a welcoming place for anyone, and students are encouraged to go check it out for themselves to help excel their learning and improve their reading and writing skills.

In the 2300s building at Chabot College, couches that were previously placed there for students have been removed by Arnold Paguio director of Student Life, because of complaints about the rude behavior of students and neglect of courtesy. The lobby has been replaced with hard plastic boxes to sit on, small tables and this has left students disappointed and filled with questions. The couches were part of a furniture upgrade sometime between 2012-2014.

Although many students may think that their behavior wasn’t the issue when using the couches, there has been an improvement in behavior from students since the couches were replaced by the boxes. Paguio stated, “Couches were removed due to complaints about the behavior of students in the lobby. Complaints had been coming into my office for over a year and to the point where people did not feel comfortable sitting in the lobby, walking through the lobby, using the tabling area, entering the building.”

When asked about what specific behavior was causing the couches to be removed Paguio responded, “With the number of complaints we received, to point out specific behaviors from complaints would probably just oversimplify the issues.”

With the couches removed, many feel as if their privileges are also being taken away. When speaking to Chabot student Christian Soriano, he said, “We pay to take classes here at Chabot College and for our student life director to take the couches away without us knowing is like a stab in the back.”

Chabot College student Mick Sanders is one of the students that missed the couch in the 2300 lobby stated, “I like hanging on the couches in case I need to do some homework or just a chilling spot when I’m tired from practice. I wish someone could bring them back.”

Concerned student David Faria stated, “I’d like to point out the couches were by the cafeteria. I realize it’s loud but that was supposed to be our space too. We pay a fair amount for intuition just to be here that’s not fair to me or the students here at Chabot.”

When asked about whether the couches would ever be placed back in the 2300 lobby Paguio stated, “We are always open to feedback, but so far the switch in furniture appears to be an improvement so we are not inclined to make another change.”

Besides the couches in the 2300 lobby, there are a few other resting stops on Chabot campus for students to enjoy their free time (The Balcony above the cafeteria, and the Library). Even though there may be other places where students can spend their time, it doesn’t beat a place as comfortable as a couch. The couches served as a place where students can sit or lay down calm and relaxed before they were stressed out from grades, midterms, homework, finals and even life generally.