A new student fee may be on the horizon—but that’s up to the University of Colorado Denver student body.
The fee—called the Mental Health and Wellbeing Fee—would provide funding for mental health services on campus. The increased funding from the fee would help to bring CU Denver’s staffing levels up to national recommendations, improving timeliness of response, as well as continue to fund a 24/7 counseling app and mental health programming.
The proposed Mental Health and Wellbeing Fee is $92 per semester. However, the proposal also includes a reduction to the Student Services Fee, meaning that fees would only increase by $62 per semester if implemented. In order to pass, at least 10% of the student body must vote in the election. If passed, the fee would take effect in Fall of 2025.
The proposal comes amid a wave of mental health fees that are currently being enacted around the country. Within the CU system, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs has a similar fee at $132.54 per semester, while the University of Colorado Boulder has a similar fee at $97.40 per semester. A little closer to home, Metropolitan State University of Denver has a similar fee of $107.50. These fees are all geared towards funding student mental health support on campus.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Fee was formulated in conjunction with university administrators and Student Government. CU Denver’s Student Government has endorsed the fee.
“The Student Government Association endorses this fee because they know the impact that would be made from these funds and have identified the link between the additional resources and the ‘prioritization of well-being’ for our students,” said Vice President Mitchell Mauro. “Other institutions within the CU system currently collect funds from similarly structured fees and we believe that it is time for CU Denver to support our students in a greater capacity in the areas that need the most attention.”
The new fee would help to provide more mental health resources for students, so that more students are able to access mental health support on campus. Funding would cover increasing counseling staff to ensure all CU Denver students have access to their 10 free counseling sessions annually. Funding would also pay for the TELUS app, which provides 24/7 mental health support, as well as covering certifications for members of the community for mental health support such as mental health awareness, bystander intervention, violence prevention, threat assessment, behavioral intervention, cultural competence, suicide screening and more.
“The impact that I hope to see on the CU Denver community as a result from this fee is utilization of expanded resources and that students are taking away the necessary knowledge to take care of themselves and their mental health and in a healthy and effective manner for not only the rest of their time as a student, but also for the rest of their lives,” said Mauro.
However, Mauro noted that turnout for student elections has been low lately. For the fee to pass, at least 10% of the student body must vote in spring elections, which take place from 8:00 a.m. on Apr. 7 through 5:00 p.m. on Apr. 18. Students can vote through MyLynx during that time. Spring elections will also feature a number of Student Government positions that students can vote on.
“We need all of the support we can get to reach this goal, whether you support the fee or not,” said Mauro. “Either way gives us insightful information as to what students do or don’t want to see.”
