Oregon State University’s new student body president said she will prioritize a program to increase mental health services on campus because she believes resources currently available are failing to meet demand.
Audrey Schlotter, 19, who majors in public policy with a minor in sociology, began her one-year term on June 1.
The Healthy Campus program prioritizes students’ mental and physical health in and out of the classroom.
“The systems that we do have in place,” she said, “oftentimes can’t support the amount of … the demand.”
She also wants to offer free testing for sexually transmitted diseases and make Narcan available on campus.
College students are facing historic rates of depression, anxiety and suicide risk, a 2023 national study produced by the Healthy Minds Network, found. The research organization focuses on adolescent and young adult mental health.
An Oregon State spokesperson did not make a university official available for an interview.
Schlotter said she wants to increase mental health services because she believes not everyone is currently able to access the help they need on campus.
Healthy Campus, Schlotter said, will conduct research on the mental and physical needs of the various student populations on campus to better allocate resources where they are needed the most.
“University partners from all different areas of the university come together and focus on student health and wellness, and prioritize that above all else,” she said. “That’s who I represent.”
Mental health needs are more acute in certain vulnerable groups of students. A national survey on mental health for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-24 found that there were significant mental health disparities for this group. The study found that 50% of LGBTQ+ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it, and that 53% of LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing recent symptoms of depression.
Joshua Goodman, 34, assistant psychology professor at Southern Oregon University, said the struggles that most of the LGBTQ+ community faces correlate to higher rates of mental health concerns.
“Some of the things that relate to those higher rates of mental health disparities include things like experiencing discrimination and also fearing discrimination,” he said. “It can relate to internalized heterosexism and internalized transphobia.”
Daiz Sondag, 20, president of Rainbow Continuum, a student-funded organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community at Oregon State, said having services available is critical.
They said their organization is doing its part to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ students.
“I really think that just having a physical, in-person space that is welcoming for queer students is incredibly important,” Sondag said. “It’s one thing to say that you are a welcoming university and that you will always accept your students, but it’s another to actually have a space for queer people to feel safe in, (and) to have resources at.”
Sondag says the university has several mental health services in place including resources like queer focused counselors, a separate department for LGBTQ+ care, and a free support line that is available 24/7 with vetted counselors.
“I’ve heard a lot of great things about them,” Sondag said, “and they really do assist our students here at OSU.”
Schlotter believes it’s important for all students, including those who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community, to find a home where they feel welcome. “Oftentimes being heard is the first step to understanding that you need help.”
– Ysabel Adriano, South Albany High School
– Alexa Aguirre, Sprague High School