A giant inflatable version of Student Health’s golden retriever wellness mascot, Rumi, stood watch over a conversation about men’s mental health, masculinity and self-expression, which was held on McCarthy Quad on Wednesday evening. 

The event, called “Just Ask Men,” was co-sponsored by Student Health’s Counseling and Mental Health department and the USC Men’s Mental Health Initiative. It featured a live podcast panel discussion with three students, two faculty members and a therapist. 

“There’s a lot of different voices coming at once telling you what you should look like, how you should be, how you should act,” said Zidane Zamorano, a panelist and a senior majoring in health and human sciences. “I’ve definitely struggled with that before in my life … at the end of the day, what makes you happy is what matters.” 

One consistent point of discussion among the six panelists was how men can best support their mental health. Reading, drawing, self-acceptance, napping, walking and going to the gym were all mentioned as options. 

Men are significantly less likely than women to receive mental health treatment. In 2019, nearly one in four adult women in the U.S. received some form of mental health care, compared to about one in eight men, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Zamorano said the panel discussion’s conversation was about trying to change the traditional narrative that masculinity means men have to hold in their feelings, which he said can lead to them lashing out.   

“It’s okay to feel your emotions and not have to hold them in,” Zamorano said in an interview after the event. “Seeing three guys our age, talking candidly about men’s mental health and how we feel about masculinity can hopefully make other people more comfortable talking about it as well.”

The panelists pointed to many pressures facing men today, including a tighter job market and narrow definitions of masculinity. John Millsap, a panelist and a senior majoring in journalism, said self-acceptance and having friends to confide in can help alleviate these pressures. 

“It’s not easy to be a good son, a good employee, a good friend, a good man. These are all things that require a lot of you,” Millsap said. “… A really important part of being a man [is] … being able to help others in a way that’s considerate to their needs .” 

In addition to the panel discussion, attendees could pick up educational pamphlets on mental wellness, spin a wheel to win small trinkets or try their hand at a mobile arcade basketball truck. A raffle was also held before the two podcast panel discussion sessions. 

Dev Mehra, a freshman majoring in electrical and computer engineering, won several comic books and a Boy Smells brand candle.

“[The panelists] did talk about having a good balance between sleep, [healthy] habits and exercise, which I do agree with and, to an extent, I need to work on,” Mehra said. 

Students who stopped by all three “resource tables” and had their raffle card punched could enter the final raffle of the night. Sriram Seshadri, a junior majoring in applied and computational mathematics, won the night’s ultimate prize, a Fender Player II Stratocaster guitar valued at $840. Seshadri said he approved of the event spreading a broader definition of masculinity. 

“Masculinity can mean different things to different people, but I think the main thing is finding out whatever it means to you,” Seshadri said.

Andrew Jimenez Salgado, a first-year graduate student studying materials science and engineering, was walking by McCarthy Quad with his Viterbi School of Engineering mentee when he saw the event being set up and decided to attend. Salgado said being a man means protecting and loving one’s family and building upon the successes of men who are loved ones. 

“[In the past] it was acceptable and reasonable to be the strong, silent type,” Salgado said. “It is okay to be expressive of your feelings, and [you] shouldn’t be ashamed or scared of that.”

Disclaimer: John Millsap formerly served as an assistant Arts and Entertainment editor at the Daily Trojan in Spring 2025. Millsap is no longer affiliated with this paper.