{"id":32452,"date":"2020-02-27T05:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T11:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=32452"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:32:41","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T20:32:41","slug":"oklahoma-colleges-get-creative-to-support-mental-health-treatment-as-need-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2020\/02\/27\/oklahoma-colleges-get-creative-to-support-mental-health-treatment-as-need-grows\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma colleges get creative to support mental health treatment as need grows"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Ann Hargis and Scruff greet students in the Oklahoma State University Student Union.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Ann Hargis sits on the floor of the Oklahoma State University Student Union in Stillwater, Oklahoma with her dog Scruff.<\/p>

Students are drawn to the white terrier mix like a magnet. They\u2019re showering him with love.<\/p>

Scruff is the dog of Hargis and her husband OSU President Burns Hargis. But his most important role, Ann Hargis said, is on campus as a member of Pete\u2019s Pet Posse, a group of dozens of dogs that roam the campus to comfort students.<\/p>

There are trading cards of the dogs, and many students have begun to collect them. Freshman student Camden Cope said he has more than 20 of the cards which he gathers whenever he sees a particular canine.<\/p>

\u201cThese dogs are very nice and are good for comfort if you\u2019re feeling a bit alone,\u201d said Cope, originally from Watonga, which is 90 miles west of Stillwater.<\/p>

But the dogs aren\u2019t simply about providing comfort. They\u2019re doing serious work. Handlers like Hargis said the dogs are on the front lines of pointing students toward counseling.<\/p>

\u201cWe are trained to recognize when someone is in need, and we have the tools to get them the help they need so we\u2019re really a conduit to counseling and more serious services,\u201d she said.<\/p>

In the face of a mental health crisis on America\u2019s college campuses, universities have to get creative if they want to reach their students.<\/p>