The 24/7 news cycle, the war on terrorism, and scary things happening in the world — This is what life will be like in a post-9/11 world, says Evan Porter, Student Senate President of the Student Government Association.
“There are many other external factors that make our generation uniquely worse than previous generations,” Porter said.
The student council Porter to invest $200,000 in expanding counseling and psychological services and another $500,000 in student health and wellbeing services Said.
Porter said his generation is ready to break down stigma around mental health.
“I think more than ever, students need access to mental health resources,” Porter said. “For K-State students he believes it is our responsibility to make sure they get the free access that CAPS has always worked so hard to maintain.”
Funding for this plan comes from a $479.40 student services fee paid by full-time Manhattan campus students. This fee goes to financial institutions such as Rafen Health Center, K State Student Union, Peters Recreation Complex, and Student Legal Services.
Blake Phillips, Chair of the SGA Student Services Fees Committee, said: “It wasn’t something we wanted to do, but it’s what we ultimately had to do to get it back in shape.”
Phillips said Rafen staff described a moment when one student most needed K-State mental health services.
“There was some kind of event and there was a student who came to see CAPS, and they were with that student all day,” Phillips said. “It’s really great to have a staff member who was able to help that student for that amount of time.”
SGA has agreements with all student service fee entities, each of which is reviewed on a three-year cycle, Porter said. Initially, this year was not his CAPS review year, but due to the need for change, the Student Services Fees Committee approved his CAPS budget to be taken out of the normal cycle and to be reviewed this year. is ready.
“CAPS was really seriously underfunded,” says Porter. “The lack of funding is enough to lose accreditation to the internship program they run with the American Psychological Association.”
Lafene’s communications and marketing specialist, Shawn Funk, said SGA’s investment in Lafene’s mental health services is beneficial to the well-being of its students.
“We believe that physical and mental health are essential to academic success,” Funk said.
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SGA was able to allocate $1,000 to help CAPS staff members maintain their licenses, Phillips said. They were paying $2,500 out of their own pocket.
“In the past, CAPS operated on a slightly different model, with long wait times for students,” says Phillips. “If you want to go to CAPS to see someone, it may take a week or more. The service did not fully meet the needs of the students.”
According to Funk, CAPS has an app called My SSP. This is a free, confidential 24/7 chat and phone service for all students.
“If we have a student in imminent danger who can’t access Lafene on a particular day, we can do a telemedicine or chat therapy session through My SSP,” says Porter.
SGA is looking at CAPS because college students are stressed during vacations and when they return to school, Phillips said.
“Everyone has a different story,” Phillips said. , it is very important to make sure that each need is met.”
