University policies concerning mental health issues were the main topic of debate at the Board of Visitors' Student Affairs Committee meeting yesterday. The discussion followed Gov. Tim Kaine's decision to sign into law several General Assembly bills Wednesday regarding mental health in colleges and universities in response to the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech.
Interim Dean of Students Allen Groves highlighted the importance of House Bill 1005, which he described as an important, twofold bill that "deals with parental notification" when a student receives mental health treatment at an institution's student health center and also "keeps an employee from getting sued if they make allegations" of mental instability in a student.
House Bill 671, which is incorporated into HB1005, states that school personnel are required to notify parents if, as "a result of direct communication with a student," they have "reason to believe that a student is suicidal or at risk of harming others."
Kaine also signed House Bill 1449, which requires the Board and other such institutional governing bodies to create an emergency management plan, which must be assessed every four years, and to maintain a threat assessment team, which, according to the bill, must articulate "a campus-wide threat assessment policy and ... establish a first warning notification and emergency broadcast system."
The University has numerous policies and procedures that deal with mental health issues, including suicide, Groves said, noting that the University offers an on-call system.
"We provide a 24-hour crisis management service to students," Groves said. "There is always one person on call for 24 hours a day."
Groves also mentioned the Incident Response Information System, which allows students to document mental health concerns, and Counseling and Psychological Services.
Board member Alan Diamonstein raised concern during Groves' presentation regarding the University's policy of interim suspensions.
Groves mentioned that a mentally unstable student could be suspended for a term pending a University Judiciary Committee hearing, and Diamonstein questioned why this program does not keep the University community informed of such suspensions. He commented that if a student were to be suspended, it would be very easy for him to return to Grounds unnoticed because of the student body's ignorance of the suspension.
Despite this concern, Groves noted that students' privacy still needs to be protected.
"But if something were to happen, you can't just release [the information] to the public," Groves said. "That's just unlawful,"
Board member John O. Wynne followed Diamonstein's question with his own concern that if the University community were to be notified about students who are asked to leave Grounds, it might discourage students from coming forward about their mental health problems.
The University has not seen this concern manifest itself, Groves said, but will address such an issue if it occurs in the future.
Read More
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | YesterdayA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
U.Va.'s Earth Day Eco-Fair 2025 spotlights sustainability advocacy
By Leigh Bailey | YesterdayStudents from Contracted Independent Organizations and University Office of Sustainability leadership programs each shared their unique perspectives about sustainability advocacy on Grounds.
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | YesterdayStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
