APSCUF’s February 2020 legislative assembly approved the following resolution about psychological services.
Whereas the first responsibility of educators and universities is the well-being of students;
Whereas facilities for psychological services across the State System are staffed far below the needs of our current students;
Whereas incidents of suicide and the prevalence of various severe psychological conditions have been increasing in young adults;
Whereas it has now become difficult, impossible, or prohibited on some campuses for students to schedule appointments with therapists for conditions that require multiple visits to produce positive outcomes;
Whereas improving psychological services for students would improve retention and recruitment, which could, in turn, mitigate net costs for hiring more mental-health professionals;
Whereas, due to the current conditions, the faculty in centers for psychological services on our campuses are encountering unacceptable levels of stress;
Whereas current clinical psychological conditions are severely impeding the ability to learn while creating intense suffering;
And whereas the scope and intensity of these circumstances constitute a Systemwide emergency;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that conditions necessitate that each president of the State System universities must submit to the chancellor and the Board of Governors an evaluation of the availability of psychological services for their university’s students and, if necessary, plans to improve availability of such services for students before the end of the spring term.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State APSCUF Executive Council forward a copy of this resolution to the chancellor and the chair of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.