News

The Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) is in the final stages of implementing two high-priority recommendations, 17 and 20. Recommendation 17 addresses the accessibility of mental health training and mental health resources for faculty. In the most recent meeting, CoSMH members moved to request the inclusion of a mental health training component in each faculty’s respective onboarding processes and performance evaluations.

The activity of the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health (PAC-SMH) and the Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) been noted by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), which is collaborating with the Canadian Standards Association to create a National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety of Post-Secondary Students. Dr. John P. Hirdes, CoSMH chair, and Dr. Walter Mittelstaedt, director of Campus Wellness, are working together to engage in the consultation process on a technical committee.

After consultation with representatives from the Student Success Office (SSO), AccessAbility Services, and Campus Wellness, the Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) has made significant progress on Recommendations 17 and 20 (ranked first and second). Upcoming tasks include the examination of strategies to encourage faculty members to engage in mental health training, providing oversight to a steering committee focused on University of Waterloo mental health training programs, and the maintenance of a central resource inventory.

The Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) hosted the Student Mental Health Forum on October 24^th, and members were thrilled to see the university community’s continued dedication to mental health developments on campus through the quality of questions and conversations prompted during the event.

Students make up almost a third of the Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) membership – three undergraduate and two graduate. Ayana Kawe is the international student representative, 3A in Life Physics in the Faculty of Science, and was Muslim Student Association President Winter 2018. Undergraduate student at large Katie Arnold is a 3A student from the Faculty of Engineering, and the President of the Waterloo Engineering Society. Richard Wu, a fourth-year biomedical student, is the President and representative from the Federation of Students (2018/19).

The video recording of the Thrive Student Mental Health Forum is now available for viewing online. If you missed the Forum, you can now view the recording which includes updates from University of Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullapur, the Co-SMH, and the signing of the Okanagan Charter.

Since Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur accepted the final report and recommendations from the advisory committee on student mental health, a lot of work has taken place.

The membership for the implementation Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) is in place and all recommendations have been assessed and prioritized. A total of 40 per cent of the recommendations are underway or have been completed. The CoSMH has set a goal of addressing all 36 recommendations contained in the final report within the next two years.

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

After the thorough work of the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health (PAC-SMH), I have received the committee’s report of recommendations on strengthening student mental health at the University of Waterloo.

The PAC-SMH has been working towards getting the final report to the President on January 15, 2018. The PAC-SMH determined that an extension is needed to properly distil the nearly 140 recommendations brought to us by our supporting panels. We recognized that we need to:

The President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health (PAC-SMH) hosted a supporting panel symposium in the Village 1 Great Hall on the morning of Tuesday, October 24, 2017. The symposium provided panel members with another opportunity to meet, share information, and discuss questions and progress related to their specific panels.