By: Sarah Kirsch
Transcript:
Sarah Kirsch: In a petition that's gotten over 2000 signatures, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been advocating for more mental health resources for students on campus.
SK: Leland Hermus, a senior in the Engineering School, created a petition around two weeks ago after the deaths of two UW students.
Leland Hermus: I think that, as long as UHS is taking note of this and the administration is taking note of this, I think that's really what matters is seeing change on campus for our students.
SK: Hermus' main goal is for the University to provide more funding to UHS and to expand UHS resources on campus.
LH: It sounds like within the next year and this fall, like they're going to be expanding more and helping other people on campus kind of see these things and getting access to those resources that they maybe don't have right now. And so I'm hoping they follow through on that. And I'm hoping that my fellow students also make sure that they hold that true to like the scenario that's going on.
SK: Hermus stated that it is important for students to continue speaking about the university services they need, especially from UHS. He said that giving feedback to UHS is important because they don't always know what talk is going on around campus.
LH: Please make sure you're calling in, you know, making sure that they know like, “hey, the wait times are getting really long, we're kind of getting tired of it, we want help, you know, we're really struggling,” because the more they hear that the more that they have to address it.
SK: In addition to improving and utilizing UHS, Hermus also highlighted how checking in our your friends and being open about emotions can combat mental health stigma.
LH: It's breaking down those barriers, those walls that we've created as men in society and working on talking to people on a personal level, and you know, getting personal with our friends and really asking how they're doing.
LH: Everyone is capable of being emotional. And that's just that's human. We're all human. We're not robots. You know, we all have emotions, we all have feelings. And it's good to express those, you know, whether that's in sadness, that's an anger, you know, you need to be upfront with people and tell them how you feel about stuff.
SK: Since the petition's start, ASM reached out to Hermus about pushing for more mental health resources from the University administration by working with UHS. Hermus also wrote a proposal for UHS and is waiting for feedback on it.
SK: Thank you to Leland Hermus. From WSUM News, I'm Sarah Kirsch.
