Equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives at Canadian universities
Task force at University of Waterloo recommends action on mental health
In 2018, a year after two suicides on the University of Waterloo campus, a task force is making 36 recommendations to improve the mental health of students.
Recommendations touch on diverse areas of campus life. With buildings, for example, the report recommends incorporating wellness into planning and renovations. Faculty are encouraged to integrate mental health topics into their curricula; new faculty should receive mental health training as part of their orientation. On an administrative level, the report says the university should create a working group to look at stress-related issues related to final exams.
The university says it has already agreed to invest $1.2 million to increase the staffing level of its counselling services department to 37 mental health professionals. This will allow them to provide one counsellor for every 1,000 students —the ratio recommended in the report. Part of the funds will also be used to provide more mental health training for faculty and other staff members.
