Task force recommends 8 ways to improve emotional wellness
After completing a 15-month inquiry, a special task force on student mental health this week released eight recommendations for ways the University can improve emotional wellness on campus by addressing a mix of academic, social, and institutional issues. The Task Force on Managing Student Mental Health was convened by Provost Alan M. Garber in February of 2019 to begin assessing and responding to significant increases in both student self-reports of mental health issues and the subsequent use of related services — upticks that reflected a national trend in higher education. “The Task Force has thoroughly examined the challenges that our students were facing even before the COVID-19 pandemic upended their lives,” Garber said. “The needs highlighted by this report — for greater connection, for wider adoption of and help with self-care, for more accessible support in dealing with everyday struggles as well as mental health conditions, and for better coordination of mental...