Student Senate to create mental health task force, urges review of resource funding allocation

Photo via The New Political staff

In their Jan. 29 meeting, Ohio University Student Senate passed a resolution addressing what they deem to be the mental health crisis at Ohio U. 

The resolution establishes a student-run task force under the Senate’s leadership that will analyze the university’s mental health policies and practices. Additionally, the group will run campaigns and host events combating the stigma surrounding mental health and raising awareness of resources available to students. 

Senate President Dan Gordillo will decide the members of the task force and will preside over the group unless he chooses to delegate that responsibility to another student, who would be known as the Senate Advisor for Mental Health. 

Along with this task force, the bill calls for the university to examine their current mental health resource funding structure and make changes where necessary to ensure equal and adequate mental health care for students across all colleges at Ohio U. Jayson Smith, Senator for the Governmental Affairs Commission and the resolution’s primary sponsor, explained the need for this action at the meeting. 

“My biggest issue with the resources offered here on campus, and the issue that I hope most of you can agree with me on, is that the mental health resources here should be equally accessible to all students despite the college they are enrolled in,” Smith said. “Most people are fully unaware the Honors Tutorial College provides students with, and I quote, ‘special resources above and beyond what is available to every Ohio Bobcat.’ This includes mental health counseling.”