In fall 2017, the President's A Path Forward Mental Health Action team recommended that the Institute "establish resources for centralized campus leadership and coordination of mental health support on campus with the goal of monitoring trends, improving mental health service provision, and reducing what appears to be higher-than-peer-average rates of stress, anxiety, and suicidal thinking." As part of this recommendation, the team indicated that the Institute should:
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Implement continuing periodic student surveys on mental health.
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Embed questions related to mental health in other regular student surveys.
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Widen the accessibility of survey results to campus constituents.
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Provide resources/support for implementation following surveys.
In addition to the recommendations from the President’s Action Teams, it is a standard practice in higher education to administer population health and well-being surveys every 2-3 years to understand student health status, needs and assets, and identify campus and community health needs and resources.
In spring 2018, the Division of Campus Services and the Division of Student Life conducted four surveys to evaluate student mental health and well-being and the annual campus services satisfaction survey.