12 Jul Please attend UIC Student Wellness Town Hall July 24, 1pm!
Important Feedback Opportunities on Student Wellness
Dear members,
On June 15, the Chancellor’s office sent out an email with the subject line, “Update on UIC commitment to student mental health and well-being.” Buried in this email were several important pieces of information:
- The American College Health Association (ACHA) report on student wellness at UIC
- A form that students, faculty, and staff can use to give feedback on the report.
- Feedback sessions for faculty will take place July 24 at 1pm. See meeting details below.
For many students, faculty are the first UIC community members they turn to in times of struggle.The UICUF Student Wellness Committee has been focusing on collaborating with administration to improve access and infrastructure for student wellness on campus, and to introduce more transparency and partnership with faculty on decisions made on this front. Faculty town halls are important opportunities for the us to tell the administration what you need to support student wellness, and we encourage you to attend the sessions, fill out the feedback form, and read the report. If you know students who would be interested in sharing their views on student wellness, please share the meeting with them and encourage them to look at the report:
| Faculty Town Hall #2: July 24, 2023 1:00 PM Central Meeting ID: 894 5515 0092 Passcode: PvnaqL75 Add to Yahoo Calendar | Add to Google Calendar | Add to Calendar(.ics) | Student Town Hall #2: July 17, 2023 1:00 PM Central Meeting ID: 857 1328 4807 Passcode: fTvs5NeA Add to Calendar(.ics) | Add to Google Calendar | Add to Yahoo Calendar |
In April, the UICUF Student Wellness Committee hosted a student study break and sponsored a petition signed by over 250 UIC community members urging the administration to create “meaningful opportunities to provide oversight and input into student wellness efforts.” At the time, administrators seemed open to compensating a committee inclusive of faculty, staff, and students to implement the American College Health Association (ACHA) recommendations (the ACHA did an independent review of UIC wellness infrastructure this past spring). From emails we acquired through the Freedom of Information Act, we learned that our petition was an important catalyst in getting the administration to release the ACHA final report to the larger UIC community. Unfortunately, the administration has backtracked on the idea of a compensated committee and is instead holding a series of barely-publicized town halls addressing the report in the next few weeks.Two town hall sessions for faculty are being held. The first was held June 26th–this date was never announced publicly, and was only available to those who had completed a survey. The next session will be held July 24th at 1pm. The meeting information is above–we urge you to join the town hall if you are available. We also urge you to read the ACHA report and fill out the open comment survey, sharing your thoughts about the report or your experiences with student mental health on the UIC campus.
We are frustrated with the lack of communication and clarity in the administration’s decisions and actions surrounding the ACHA report. As a part of faculty contract negotiations, the entire campus community was given a commitment for meaningful action that promised to improve student and faculty experience on campus. Transparency and opportunities for student and faculty input were key elements of this commitment, and so far we have been sorely disappointed. It’s up to us to make sure that our colleagues and students have a say in this process as it moves forward.
Please complete the survey and attend the July 24 Town Hall at 1pm!