There’s a brand new organization at LMU. It’s called “From Solus to Solace,” and it’s a men’s engagement group looking to examine mental health in an organic, thoughtful, peer-to-peer manner. As its name implies, From Solus to Solace offers light at the end of the tunnel and a bright future ahead for every man that joins its ranks.
The founder is Michaelis Sanchez, a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. He comes from a background of frustration and rightful exasperation at the lack of a platform for men to speak about their mental health.
“I’m tired of men not being able to convey their emotions and being perceived as weak for doing so, or for carrying themselves in a certain manner,” said Sanchez. “I feel masculinity in today’s society is often condemned, and that traditional masculine traits are generally shunned. However, I believe masculinity is a bit more of a spectrum, and there isn’t necessarily one way of being a man.”
The name of the organization is as thought-provoking as its mission. The full name of the organization is “From Solus to Solace, A Men’s Engagement Group.”
“Solus [is] a play [on ‘soulless’], but stemming from Latin, meaning alone or unaccompanied,” said Sanchez. “I chose this because I feel we, as men, often have to drown out our emotions and thoughts, making us ‘soulless.’”
While Sanchez founded the organization this year with a lofty goal —“to create the largest organization in campus history”— any impact that the group has will be a sufficient and meaningful one.
“Anyone who is a man or [identifies] as such is welcome to join. I believe we have something beautiful here, and if our mission jumps out at anyone, I would encourage them to join,” said Sanchez.
An attempt was made by The Lion to get in touch with others that were part of Solus to Solace. Understandably, however, Sanchez remains tight-lipped about such matters: “Discretion is a big thing in my org, simply because of the subject matter at hand,” he said.
“Members come and go as they please; I quite literally have multiple members in the org that have never come to a meeting —and they’re not forced to. From Solus to Solace is more of a resource than anything else.”
