WHEREAS, A survey administered to attendees (n = 36) at the September 26, 2011 meeting of the GPSA, where respondents were asked to rank order issues facing the graduate and professional student population, 78% (n=28) indicated mental health or wellness as an important issue; and

WHEREAS, University data (qualitative and quantitative) pertaining to the state of mental health and wellbeing among the graduate and professional student population is sparse; and WHEREAS, The Student Advocacy Committee therefore chose to focus its efforts during the 2011–2012 academic year on increasing the understanding of graduate/professional mental health and wellness; and

WHEREAS, The Committee collected data in two specific contexts: 1) Survey based research among GPSA attendees at a meeting during Fall 2011 and 2) Qualitative focus groups with a diverse sample of graduate students in the Winter 2011. Results are offered here, as are recommendations; and

WHEREAS, First, the survey conducted among attendees (n=37) at the October 21, 2011 meeting of the GPSA collected information specifically about preventative health behaviors among graduate students (e.g., exercise); and

WHEREAS, Results of this small-scale survey indicate that graduate and professional students exercise on average 2.5 times per week. Just over half of the students sampled own a Cornell Fitness Center (CFC) gym membership (57%). Of the participants without a gym membership (n=16), 63% mentioned cost to be prohibitive. In the comments section, 13% of respondents mentioned inadequacy of facilities (hours not conducive to graduate schedules, over capacity at peak times); and

WHEREAS, In the second data collection, qualitative focus groups were conducted through an event called “Dine & Discuss: Graduate and Professional Student Mental Health and Wellbeing.” The event, held on December 9, 2011, was publicized through graduate and professional student listservs. The event collected a sample of graduate students (n=60) from a variety of disciplines (e.g., Law, JGSM, MILR, VET, Communication, Nutrition, Chemistry, CIPA, and Engineering). Vice President Susan Murphy delivered a keynote address about University mental health initiatives. Participants broke out into small groups (6 — 10) to engage in discussion guided by trained facilitators on specific discussion prompts (e.g., “What do you do to relax? And “What are barriers to mental health among graduate students?”); and

WHEREAS, Results of the second data collection provide findings in three areas: 1) Current practices among graduate and professional students in terms of work/life balance, 2) Obstacles to mental health, and 3) Recommendations for promoting mental health; and

WHEREAS, The first area of findings pertain to current practices for work/life balance. Data indicate current practices fall into categories: exercise, relaxing, community involvement, and socializing. The most often cited behavior for reducing stress is exercise; and

WHEREAS, The second area of findings pertain to obstacles to mental health. Data indicate obstacles to mental health include: fitness centers (costly, inadequate for graduate students), difficulty making friends (lack of integration across departments and sense of connectivity to the community), norms that promote work over socializing, demanding schedules and work environments, and lack of awareness/social stigma around the use of mental health resources; and

WHEREAS, The final area of findings pertain to recommendations for supporting mental health. Data indicate participants support changes that include 1) changing norms, 2) increasing social opportunities, 3) creating a supportive academic environment, 4) developing supporting advisor relationships, 5) increasing utilization of health services, and 6) promoting preventative health behaviors; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the administration acknowledge that the graduate and professional student body faces different challenges than those facing undergraduates, and is therefore a population deserving of unique attention in mental health promotion efforts.

RESOLVED, That we wish to offer four specific suggestions for improvement as an update to the Graduate Community Initiative (GCI):

1. Make opportunities for preventative health behaviors more accessible: Consider extending wellness memberships/offerings to graduate students that mirror those available to staff.
2. Increase education about graduate school: Consider both institutionalized courses of study and ongoing opportunities for students to learn about topics such as:
   • Support services (both for academic and health purposes)
   • Advisor relationships
   • Dissertation guidance
3. Promote use of health resources: Consider graduate schedules when creating hours (e.g., for Gannett services, Let’s Talk hours, etc) and supporting peer counseling programs.
4. Collect more, better data
   • Conduct a Quality of Life Survey (using valid measures and a random sample) for a more comprehensive picture of issues pertaining to mental health and wellbeing of students.

RESOLVED, That the GPSA expresses its willingness to work with the administration to address these issues.

RESOLVED, That this resolution be sent to David Skorton, President of Cornell University, Susan Murphy, Vice President for Student and Academic Services, and Barbara Knuth, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rebecca Robbins
Chair, Student Advocacy Committee

Evan Cortens
President, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly

Nicole Baran
Executive Vice President, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly