At its first meeting of the semester Tuesday, Student Council representatives discussed the launch of a dental insurance pilot covering 25 students and announced the free Plan B program will officially launch Monday. Representatives also provided updates on the distribution of Cavalier Advantage grants, the application for Student Council's The Alumni-Student Cooperative Scholarship and efforts to address the closure of the John Paul Jones athletic dining hall.
Under Cavalier Health — an initiative aimed at expanding health services and providing financial support for students — Student Council launched a dental insurance pilot reimbursement program Dec. 2 to provide coverage for students who need to secure dental insurance.
The optional dental plan is administered by Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc. — the insurance broker used for the University’s student health insurance plan. While the University requires all students to maintain health insurance through either the University or an external provider, standard health insurance coverage does not include dental care.
The pilot program will cover the cost for the first 25 students who enroll, with applications open through Jan. 30. According to Micah Andrews, Student Council chief of Support and Access Services and third-year College student, 23 students had already requested dental insurance coverage at the time of the meeting, indicating interest in dental support.
“The dental insurance reimbursement program launched, so we’re funding 25 students. Though, if we get a bit more demand, we’ll be able to fund a bit more,” Andrews said.
In addition to dental coverage, Saehee Pérez, Student Council chief of cabinet and third-year College student, announced that the free Plan B pilot program — previously introduced during the fall semester — will officially begin Monday through Student Health and Wellness. The program will provide emergency contraception at no cost to all students.
Students will receive one free dose of Plan B per semester by presenting their University identification at the Student Health and Wellness pharmacy, which will offer services through the last day of classes, April 28. Following last year’s free STI testing program launched Feb. 10, the Plan B pilot program builds on prior Student Council efforts to expand reproductive and wellness resources on Grounds.
Pérez also provided an update regarding the distribution of Cavalier Advantage grants, which are $5 micro-grants available for University students to apply. Students can request up to four micro-grants per academic year to provide funding for student projects and essential expenses including laundry and printing services through their Cavalier Advantage account.
According to Pérez, approximately 150 requests were submitted during the fall semester. Separately, requests for art supplies totaled roughly $30,000, of which $10,000 was approved for reimbursement. Pérez noted that $4,400 worth of art supplies has been distributed so far and that these materials will remain available for future art supply purchases.
Princess Wuraola Olubuse-Omisore, Student Council vice president for administration and Medical student, also provided an overview of the TASC Scholarship — a need-based award founded in 1977 by Student Council.
The scholarship awards $2,500 annually to 20 students — which totals $50,000 — to help cover everyday costs, such as utility, rent and insurance payments. Applicants demonstrating financial need are invited to apply.
This year, applicants will submit three essays, with Student Council representatives serving as primary reviewers. According to Olubuse-Omisore, 11 students have applied thus far and the application window will close Feb. 15. Olubuse-Omisore emphasized Student Council’s renewed commitment to the scholarship.
“This year is our year to … be more involved and show up as Student Council,” Olubuse-Omisore said.
During leadership reports, Noah Dyer, student athlete representative and third-year Commerce student, addressed the permanent closure of the JPJ athletic dining hall at the end of the fall semester, which impacts meal accessibility for student-athletes. Dyer said that he met with Kyle Montaperto, president of Student Athlete Advisory Committee and third-year Kinesiology student, and director of sports nutrition Randy Bird to discuss short-term solutions.
“They have no real plans of building a new athletic dining hall and so [their] short term solution is to do some catering for athletes [and] depending on the team it could be one to two times a week,” Dyer said. “I asked him if there's any permanent solutions we looked at. He said there are none.”
With the goal of providing long-term solutions, Dyer plans to meet with Nicole Hall, senior associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, to discuss potential dining alternatives for student athletes.
Student Council will reconvene Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. for a regularly scheduled general body meeting.
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