Two former members still offer help in disability support services.
By R.T. Gonzalez
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Peer Educators, a group of students who educated and helped other students with health concerns, was disbanded in the fall.
Delia De Luna, senior generalist in the office of disability support services, said the group was disbanded because work-study students did not meet the financial aid deadline for this year.
Peer Educators relied on work-study students to help give other students an outlet for stress and to provide basic sex education.
Patricia Sanchez, a counselor for disability support services, helped advise Peer Educators in 2012-13.
It was common for Peer Educators to give out condoms and raise awareness about STDs, such as HIV and AIDS, she said.
Sanchez also said the group provided students with HIV and AIDS testing once per semester.
Peer Educators had experience overcoming stress and genuinely liked to listen, she said.
Peer Educators had to be experienced, resourceful and compassionate and had to have the ability to understand the students they encountered, De Luna said.
Even though Peer Educators is no longer a campus organization, there are still other resources around campus that students can go to.
De Luna and Sanchez encourage students who need advice about their daily lives to drop by the disability support services office in the Veteran Affairs office across from the counselor-advising desk in Moody Learning Center.
De Luna said the disability support services office has two work-study students who are former Peer Educators and are available to help students.
James Brandenburg, a staff counselor in the counseling center on the first floor of Moody, can also help students.
Brandenburg is a licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family counselor, and has a master’s degree in education.
De Luna said the disability support service office does not turn students away.
Office hours for disability support services and counseling and advising are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday (general information only for counseling center); and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. the first Saturday of the month. Call disability support services at 210-486-0020.
Students who need personal counseling are advised to set up an appointment with Brandenburg at 210-486-0361 or 210-595-0056.