R.14: Graduate Mental Health Care

Whereas, mental healthcare has been of concern to the graduate and professional student community for some time, especially after the recent tragic events on campus;

Whereas, in January 2009, the 2008–2009 Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) passed a resolution entitled R.6 Regarding Mental Healthcare for Cornell Graduate & Professional Students, which called for the establishment of a Working Group on Graduate and Professional Student Mental Health to work with the President’s Council on Mental Health & Welfare (CMHW) which currently has one seat available for a graduate/professional student;

Whereas, in Fall 2009, the GPSA formed an Ad-hoc Graduate Mental Health Committee to address the specific mental health care needs of graduate students;

Whereas, the Ad-hoc Graduate Mental Health Committee met with members of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Cornell’s Empathy, Assistance, & Referral Service (EARS) to review their program and how they cater to graduate students;

Whereas, upon review of their findings, the Ad-hoc Graduate Mental Health Committee have begun to identify discussion points on the topic of mental healthcare for graduate students:

• The Cornell Strategic Plan: The GPSA Ad-hoc Mental Health committee recommended that the statement “A coordinated and sustained mental health support system needs be centralized and inviting to graduate and professional students” be incorporated into GPSA Resolution R.13’s “Raising the Bar” letter which was sent to the Strategic Planning Committee.
• Graduate student participation at CMHW: Currently, the GPSA bylaws state that the GPSA can send 1 representative to the CMHW. The student members of the committee as well as Tim Marchell and Jan Talbot from Gannett and the CMHW believe there should be more graduate student participation at the CMHW.
• Minds Matter: The committee has met with Gannett Health Services and EARS to discuss with them their services for graduate students. The committee would next like to meet and work with Cornell Minds Matter as this group also focuses on mental health at Cornell.
• Proactive Mental Health Care: Cornell University does have programs that promote health, wellness and mental health care for graduate students. The committee believes there needs to be a stronger focus of promoting proactive mental health care within the university. In addition, proactive mental health care information along with the mental health resources available at Cornell and in the Ithaca campus needs to be better publicized to the graduate community. To do so, the committee believes further mental health care information should be posted on the Graduate School Student Life website.

Whereas, on March 13th, 2010, leaders from the student groups suggested that orientation events include mental healthcare when they met with Vice President Susan Murphy and Dean of Students Kent Hubbell.

Be it therefore resolved that the GPSA Bylaws (Section 3.02g, (i)) be revised to (revisions in bold):
1) One student representative to other external committees: including the Committee on Alcohol & Other Drugs, the Diversity Council, the Council on Mental Health and Welfare, the Graduate Mental Health Subcommittee, the Student Insurance Advisory Committee, and the Student Library Advisory Committee. 2) Three student representatives to the Council on Mental Health and Welfare

Be it further resolved that the GPSA requests that the Graduate School Student Life Website be revised to include proactive mental health care content by working with members of the ad-hoc mental health committee to implement the proposal attached with this resolution;

Be it further resolved that the GPSA accept the attached amendments made by the GPSA Ad-Hoc Mental Health Committee to the GPSA Student Advocacy Resource List;

Be if further resolved that the Office of Assemblies post the revised GPSA Bylaws and Student Advocacy Resource List on the website for public access and download;

Be if further resolved that to better ensure that information is available to graduate students in multiple locations, especially with regards to mental healthcare, the GPSA requests the websites of (a) the Graduate School, (b) the Graduate Student Life Office, © Gannett and (d) EARS each have a link to the GPSA Student Advocacy Resource List for further public access and download;

Be it further resolved that the GPSA strongly recommends that Graduate Student Orientation continue to have CAPS counselor Wai-Kwong Wong, PhD, give his stress management presentation, with an additional emphasis on where students can find information on all mental health services on campus;

Be it finally resolved that this resolution be sent to the following individuals:

• David Skorton, President Cornell University
• Susan Murphy, Vice President of Student and Academic Services & Chair of CMHW
• Janet Corson-Rikert, Executive Director Gannett Health Services
• Sharon Dittman, Associate Director for Community Relations
• Tim Marchell, Director, Mental Health Initiatives at Gannett Health Services
• Jan Talbot, Gannett Health Educator
• Catherine Thrasher-Carroll, Mental Health Promotion Coordinator
• Greg Eells, Associate Director for CAPS
• Wai-Kwong Wong, PhD, CAPS Counselor
• Alice Green, Director of EARS
• Casey Carr, Cornell Minds Matter Advisor
• Brenda Wickes, Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Life
• Peggy Beach, Director of the Office of Assemblies
• Barbara Knuth, Vice Provost
• Kent Hubbell, Dean of Students
• Alison Power, Dean of the Cornell Graduate School

Respectfully submitted,

The 2009–2010 GPSA Ad-Hoc Mental Health Committee:
Amit Anshumali
Elva Cha
Chris Clarke
Brian Forster
Adita Gupta
Yevgeniy Izrayelit
Katherine Lai
Edward Miles
Disha Patel
Rachel Pfuntner
Vatsav Raman
Lauren Wagner

Attachments: (a) Proposal for a proactive mental health section on the graduate student life website (b) Recommendations for a revised GPSA Student Advocacy Resource List