The committee will review existing mental health and wellness initiatives on campus
A new advisory committee has been created at the University of Guelph to help better address mental health and wellness issues on campus.
According to a U of G press release, a new Centre for Innovation for Campus Mental Health has been created in Ontario with funding from the provincial government. Brenda Whiteside, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, explained that the Council of Ontario Universities has also established a working group on campus mental health.
University students are, in some ways, “uniquely vulnerable” to issues related to mental health and wellness, Whiteside said. Many of the stresses students face are caused by their transition away from home, expectations of academic success, and personal and cultural pressures.
Julia Forster, Central Student Association Academic and University Affairs Commissioner, identified some significant causes of stress for students:
“I think a big part of student stress, especially in first year, is the transition to a much heavier work load and higher expectations. Having more deadlines and being a part of class sizes of 400 to 600 students can hurt performance. When the desire to perform well is so strong in academia, this often leads to lower performance as attention is dedicated to doing well. This may lead to anxiety and overstress, which can lead to opposite, undesirable results.” Forster added that, “Another factor is the number of stressors students face, from the hard transition first year can be, to the occasional feelings of inadequacy when marks do not reflect the time and effort dedicated to an assignment or midterm.”
Tyler Valiquette, CSA Local Affairs Commissioner and member of the advisory committee, noted that “being in good mental health means finding a balance between social, physical, spiritual, and psychological health. There are many distractions for students living independently for the first time and it can sometimes be difficult finding a balance between these aspects.”
There is growing concern among campuses across the province in the area of mental health and wellness. Whiteside says that the committee wants to determine if the U of G is doing all it can to be supportive and create a healthy environment for students.
Valiquette says that the committee will also work to make tackle the stigma associated with mental health issues, while making services more readily accessible.
“There are various support materials and resources available for students in order to better promote services and wellness while also tackling stigma,” said Valiquette. “One thing that has been identified as an area for improvement is the creation of a centralized online location where these resources can be accessed. Student Affairs, in partnership with various other departments and on-campus organizations, are currently in the creation process for this website.”
Another major initiative is to find ways to be as proactive as possible in fostering a supportive environment for students and preventing mental health issues from arising.
“The advisory committee will be looking at campus-wide issues that need to be tackled to help students, one of which [is] academic policies and curriculum changes. With midterms and assignment due dates being better planned and coordinated, we hope such changes will alleviate some stress students face more so at certain points in the year. Also, many students want to see a Fall Reading Week, which the committee has said will be an option explored,” said Forster.
But Whiteside noted that, “This advisory committee… wasn’t struck because we have major problems. We just want to make sure that, as a campus, we look at all problems in mental health.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve done a review. We may see some programs discontinued and some enhanced programs. It depends on what [the committee] finds,” Whiteside added.
The committee will be composed of undergraduate and graduate students, a faculty member, a dean or associate dean, and representatives from Student Housing Services, Counselling and Disability Services, and Wellness Services.