The Virginia General Assembly is currently considering two bills that would ostensibly result in greater reporting of mental health issues on college campuses. House Bill 1715, passed unanimously by the House last week, would legally mandate resident advisors to alert campus threat assessment teams if a student exhibits suicidal tendencies. Similarly, Senate Bill 1122 would require parents of such students to be informed.
These pieces of legislation, although well-intentioned, will do little to promote safety and mental health awareness. Rather, they will dissuade students from seeking help in addition to offending their rights as adults.
Mental health is a serious issue for University students. Per a 2011 survey conducted by the American College Health Association, approximately 30 percent of college students experienced depression at some point that year. Assuming this figure is consistent with the student population at the University, it is hard to imagine an equal proportion of University students seek help from resources such as Counseling and Psychological Services. And this is without considering mental health problems students may face besides depression. Nevertheless, CAPS has seen an uptick in students who have reached out, with 11 percent more visits last semester than the semester before. Over the past 10 years, the total number of student visits to CAPS has risen by 90 percent. According to CAPS Director Tim Davis, the stigma surrounding mental health care has declined nationally, resulting in more visits. At a time when we are seeing a positive increase in student concern with their mental health, we cannot risk losing our progress by making students fear their parents will be contacted if they reach out for help.
Furthermore, I hesitate to think resident advisors would be able to adequately identify suicidal tendencies in students. We cannot expect fellow students to be able to do what mental health professionals still struggle to do.
To be clear, students play a vital role in supporting each other’s mental health without the tall responsibility of recognizing and reporting suicidal tendencies, which is best left to mental health professionals through services such as CAPS. The University’s Peer Health Educators program prepares students to educate their peers about mental wellness and support a healthy campus culture. At the class council level, Lital Firestone, Second Year Council vice president, aims to develop class initiatives to “end the stigmatization of stress, depression and other mental health issues” through creating “safe spaces” for mental health in addition to a social media campaign that will allow class members to openly discuss particular problems they have faced. Sustained Dialogue moderator VJ Jenkins writes, “Programs such as PULSE and Sustained Dialogue provide a safe space for people to reveal the burdensome hurt that our University culture says to keep inside.”
As legal adults, students have a right to mental health privacy. For students who do not want their mental health information shared with their parents, SB 1122 is especially concerning. And according to Davis, CAPS would have to report concerning student behavior to campus threat assessment teams, as University counseling centers would not be exempt from HB 1715. CAPS stresses that students who make an appointment are guaranteed privacy regarding their medical care. HB 1715 risks stepping on patient confidentiality by opening student health information up to outside agents with whom students may not feel comfortable.
Mental health occupies a sensitive position within our community given the three student suicides that accompanied the tumult of last semester. I urge every member of the University to contact their state delegates and senators to voice their opposition to HB 1715 and SB 1122. The mental wellbeing and privacy of our fellow students are at stake.
Nazar Aljassar is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at n.aljassar@cavalierdaily.com.
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