Student Senate, 9 PM Farnsworth Pavilion 02.27.17 Student Senate, 9 PM Farnsworth Pavilion

Agenda Approval of Minutes and Agenda Vote on Class B #6 Vote on Resolution #4 Approval of Second Round Election Timeline Announcement from Elections Committee Discussion of Distribution Hour Reform Proposal Blanket Tax Committee Decision on RVP Announcement about Mental Health Forum Announcements Reminder about Changeover Banquet! SA Elections Voting (Feb 27th 8 PM- March 6th 8 PM) Culture Fair

Second Round Elections February 27th- Approve Timeline, Petitions open at 10 PM March 8th- Petitions due at midnight March 20th- Approve Ballot, Campaign Begins March 27th- voting begins April 3rd- voting closes April 4th- results announced

RAMHA, RWRC, SA Wellbeing, and RHAs Mental Health at Rice RAMHA, RWRC, SA Wellbeing, and RHAs

Student Mental Health Survey Opened February 7 - 14 Over 300 responses 96 graduate student responses 242 undergraduate responses Of the undergraduate respondents, 69.42% identified as female, 29.34% as male, and 1.24% as other Self-selection bias

Survey Results: State of Mental Health 48.76% of surveyed Rice undergrads have lived or currently live with a mental illness, and 56.96% have sought professional counseling. Of those living with mental illness, 20.34% have not sought professional counseling Perceived percentage of Rice students who live with mental illness was 38.35% Perceived most common mental illnesses at Rice were depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, and eating disorders Only 36.62% of male undergrads reported having lived or currently living with a mental illness.

Survey Results: State of Mental Health At some point, I feel like the state of my mental health has interfered with my daily life at Rice. I feel mentally healthy. 36.36% 38.02% 36.36% 23.97% 21.07% 15.70% 11.98% 6.61% 6.20% 3.72% Strongly Disagree Students living with mental illness were much less likely to report that they felt mentally healthy, and over 94% stated that their mental health has interfered with daily live at Rice. Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly Agree

Survey Results: Stress Average stress level on a scale of 1-10 was 6.33 Most common major sources of stress were academics (96.28%), future aspirations (74.38%), extracurriculars (42.56%), non- intimate relationships (40.91%), and current events (35.95%) 11.98% of undergraduates reported that their stress significantly impacted their day-to-day routine and commitments: can’t get out of bed, dread going to class, consistently lose focus, etc. 20.34% of those living with mental illness reported significant impact 42.56% were moderately impacted: able to attend class but harder to focus, unable to attend social functions due to wanting to get work done, etc.

Survey Results: Rice Environment 41.32% I feel comfortable talking about mental health at Rice. 21.07% 19.83% 13.64% 4.13% Meanwhile, 35% of students living with mental illness disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement. Strongly disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly agree

Survey Results: Rice Environment 35.54% 33.06% How supportive is the atmosphere at Rice when it comes to mental wellbeing? 18.60% 9.09% 3.72% 65.32% of students without a mental illness said that they felt Rice’s environment was supportive or very supportive, but only 42.38% of students with a mental illness felt the same. Can add about happiest students ranking briefly here Very supportive Supportive Somewhat supportive Not supportive Neutral

Survey Results: Resources I feel comfortable going to Wellbeing/Counseling. I feel comfortable referring a friend to Wellbeing/Counseling. 34.71% 43.80% 21.07% 24.79% 18.60% 17.77% 17.36% 7.85% 9.09% 4.96% Strongly Disagree Students living with mental illness were more likely to disagree that they felt comfortable going to Wellbeing or Counseling. Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly Agree

Survey Results: Resources Most students saw resources available on campus as “accessible enough” 26% of students living with mental illness did not believe that mental health resources available on campus suit their needs Mixed views of and experiences with Wellbeing & Counseling Scheduling Long term vs short term Accessibility to off-campus resources Reputation Mixed review of RHAs’ efficacy O-Week advisors and A-team underutilized Students living with mental illness were more likely to disagree that they felt comfortable going to Wellbeing or Counseling.

Rice Mental Health Forum Saturday, March 4 4:30 - 6:30 pm FREE THAI SPICE RSVP by Wed 3/1 @ midnight Dr. Clements, PhD Dept. of Religion Dr. Brown, PhD Dept. of Sociology Dr. Merlo, MD Associate Dean of Health Professions Dr. Diddel, PhD Dept. of Psychology Agnes Ho, LMSW Director of Wellbeing Office Mention what other issues students wanted to see talked about briefly, will address @ forum