Protesters sat outside of University of Ottawa president Jacques Frémont’s office for hours on Wednesday to demand change and better access to mental health services. The protest was organized after the death of the fifth student in 10 months was announced on Monday.
While highlighting a number of different initiatives done on campus that support mental health and wellness, the recently published “Roadmap to Wellness at uOttawa” report states that the university’s direction towards a culture of wellness is unclear to the rest of the community.
Five students with mental health issues point to gaps in the school’s mental health system, including staggeringly long wait times, poor training of professors, and a lack of specialized counsellors.
Despite the resources and accommodations offered by the university’s Student Academic Success Service, many students say that the U of O is still failing to accommodate their disabilities. From physical to learning disabilities, students are asking that the university show more consideration for their conditions.
In the wake of four University of Ottawa student deaths in the past eight months, students are pushing the administration to implement concrete changes to its mental health services. A petition with close to 3,000 signatures is asking the university to hire more professionals and implement more training for staff and professors.
From health to academics to social life, university students with chronic illnesses have to prioritize things a little differently. Take a look inside their lives and find out what the university is and isn’t doing to help.
In an overwhelmed healthcare system and at a time of intense pressure in the academic year, our campus mental health services should have an expanded availability to correspond to the potential increase in students experiencing a crisis.
During my first year at university, the administration and one of my professors severely let me down, and I know I’m not alone. Currently, professors at the university are offered mental health training optionally alongside other members of the community. Professors at the U of O need to be given mandatory mental health sensitivity training.
In February, McGill University announced a major investment into the university’s mental health services in the way of a mental health hub. Construction of the $14-million Rossy Student Wellness Hub is expected to be completed May 2019.
‘“No matter what, you are one of us,’ was actually a jab at the university, meant to address the sheeple culture that plagues academic institutions,” Matt explained. “I figured they would just paint over it. But you know the U of O, always defying the conventional.”
