By Jackson Chadwick | Photo courtesy of “The People Speak” via Creative Commons
The Student Government Association unanimously passed a mental health day resolution on Thursday, December 10th. The resolution proposes dedicating a day off in March in lieu of a spring break. Its passage comes just several weeks after Suffolk University announced the cancellation of spring break and the extension of the winter break.
Xin Yi Yap, Senator-at-large for International Students, sponsored the resolution alongside Meagan Dyer and Cecilia Gonzalez, Senators for the Class of 2022.
Following the University’s decision to cancel spring break, SGA released a survey asking the student body their opinions about spring break’s cancellation, their mental health, and the possibility of a spring semester mental health day; 438 Suffolk students responded. One of the questions asked students to rate their mental health on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. An overwhelming 78.3% of respondents chose 1 and 2, while only 5.9% chose 4 and 5.
Nick Scull, Director of the Counseling Health and Wellness (CHW) department, spoke in favor of the resolution and the importance of prioritizing students’ mental health during a turbulent time. Scull reiterated that students should seek out CHW services if they are struggling and need someone to talk to. CHW offers counseling and medical services as well as wellness programs to all Suffolk students.