In the News
-
Herald Journal Monday, Mar. 19, 2018
Students Share What Gives Them 'Hope' During Mental Health Week
On Monday inside the Taggart Student Center at Utah State University, Mollie Embody observed a wall covered in Polaroid pictures and tried to decide where to place the one just taken of her. ... Embody and other students were asked to pin a picture of themselves up on the wall and write a word or two describing what gives them hope during an activity that marked the start of USU’s Mental Health Week. ... During the lunch hour rush on the first floor of the TSC, students flocked to get their photo taken, write something and post it on the wall. “Sunshine,” “people who listen,” “music” and “God’s plan” were just a few of the things people wrote down that gave them hope. ... Addressing students’ mental health needs has been a priority on the part of USU officials over the last few years. In 2016, the USUSA approved a resolution declaring a “mental health crisis” on campus, and Utah’s other public colleges and universities did the same. The following year, after listening to students, Rep. Ed Redd, R-Logan, sponsored a campus mental health resolution, which was signed by Gov. Gary Herbert. Utah’s higher education governing board, the Utah Board of Regents, also formed a taskforce to address the issue. In the fall of 2017, the taskforce released its recommendations, which included requiring institutions to provide Mental Health First Aid courses. The first such courses at USU were provided in the Ellen Eccles Conference Center on March 16.