Students say U needs to increase mental health funds

Several University of Minnesota students voiced disappointment Friday with a proposed budget they say doesn't do enough to provide mental health services.

Wearing purple ribbons, the students spoke during a public hearing before the Board of Regents.

Twin Cities campus Student Body President Joelle Stangler disclosed that she'd been diagnosed with a mental health disorder during the school year at Boynton Health Services.

"I tell you this to communicate how vital mental health investments are to students," she said. "Without Boynton I would not be graduating on time. Without Boynton I would not have employment after graduation."

Stangler asked the board to invest "significantly" in giving students better access to mental health services.

She pointed to the most recent U of M Boynton Health Service survey of Twin Cities Campus students. That survey found that in 2015, 33 percent of students reported a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime — up from 25 percent in 2007.

During the regular Board of Regents meeting earlier in the day, University President Eric Kaler said the $3.8 billion budget would boost funds for mental health services.

"In fiscal year 2016 we increased mental health funding from the student service fees by $129,000, and in fiscal year 2017 we're proposing another $97,000, so for the biennium, student mental health resources will increase by $226,000," Kaler said.

Nicholas Goldsmith, a Ph.D. candidate in ecology, evolution and behavior, pointed out that the budget includes more than $1.6 million for the Academic Health Center, which he said trains health professionals, conducts groundbreaking research and provides excellent patient care.

"Investing in mental health resources would help the AHC community manage their extremely stressful work," Goldsmith said. "You can't drive innovation in healthcare if your doctors can't get out of bed."

The final budget won't be approved until the Board of Regents' June meeting.