STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
The Council of Alberta University Students is asking students who have been affected by the mental health funding that MacEwan University, Mount Royal University, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge received starting in 2013 to share their stories with MLAs in hopes that the funding, which runs out in March 2020, is renewed.
Share your stories with us by filling out the form below or download one of our template letters to directly contact the Minister of Advanced Education, Demetrios Nicolaides.
His email address is ae.minister@gov.ab.ca.
CAUS encourages you to write from the heart and share how mental health and mental health services available on campus have touched your life. However, if you are stuck for words we have created the following letter templates for you to use or modify when writing to your MLA. We also suggest that if you are sending a letter or email to your MLA you send a copy of it to the Advanced Education Minister, Demetrios Nicolaides.
His email address is ae.minister@gov.ab.ca.
As your elected student representatives working together at the provincial level, CAUS has been talking to government about the importance of renewed funding for mental health services on our campuses. Review our briefing on the state of mental health on campus across Alberta [HERE].
CAUS recommends:
Funding for student and campus mental health supports should be provided to post-secondary institutions directly and distributed based on an FLE weighted calculation.
Funding allocated to institutions should be used to maintain and expand professional programming and hire mental health service delivery experts, such as counsellors and psychologists.
Students’ Associations and Students’ Unions should play a central role in discussions with their respective institutional administrations on how student and campus mental health funding is used and should be included on the reporting of what impacts such funding has at the respective institution.
Funding for mental health service delivery should be prioritized to ensure students across Alberta have adequate access to professional mental health service providers.
Funding for provincially funded student-led mental health initiatives be discontinued and instead encourage the respective institutional administration to work with their Students’ Association or Students’ Union in addressing the need for student-led programming for mental health supports and anti-stigma campaigns.
Should student-led programming initiatives like ACMHI be continued, ensure these programs are expanded to become independent, arms-length-from-government organizations open to all Students’ Associations and Students’ Unions in Alberta.