USC's student senate passed four pieces of legislation and tabled one at its weekly meeting on Wednesday.
One piece of passed legislation, introduced by fifth-year law school student Tate Few, was a resolution to affirm the significance of mental health awareness on campus.
"The resolution will affirm the contributions that Student Health and Well-Being has (made) towards the students on campus, and also affirms looking into improving the ability for mental health services to reach the demands of students on campus," Few said.
According to the bill, the National College Health Assessment reported that 73% of students experienced moderate or severe psychological distress in 2021. The National Healthy Minds Study also found that 60% of college students faced mental health challenges that same year. In addition to these pressures, students today must manage academics and relationships and adjust to campus life.
At the University of South Carolina, a mental health task force was created to address the growing demand for services. From 2019 to 2021, the percentage of USC students diagnosed with depression rose from 20.1% to 23.1%, while anxiety diagnoses increased from 26.2% to 32.9%. Despite the efforts of Student Health Services, meeting this high demand has proven difficult, as mentioned in the bill.
"The University of South Carolina mental health task force has data for anyone that gets diagnosed with a mental health crisis on campus- that can be depression or anxiety- and overtime that has increased," Few said. "We need this resolution to affirm the importance of mental health services and their ability to try to meet capacity... It's a resolution to show our support for mental health initiatives and awareness on campus- and that we're here looking out for students."
Few said it can take 2-3 weeks for students to get an appointment for mental health services. A goal is to reduce the wait time to one week instead.
"I know a lot of students are affected with mental health crises right now on campus- and I know Student Health and Well-Being is trying their best- but capacity is difficult for them- and they do a lot of referrals to private practices off-campus," Few said.
The legislation was adopted with unanimous consent.
The other piece of legislation Senator Few introduced was a resolution recognizing the significance of Pro-Bono and volunteer service within the local community.
According to its website, the Pro-Bono Program at the University of South Carolina's Joseph F. Rice School of Law is dedicated to instilling a sense of professional responsibility among law students to serve the public, particularly those unable to afford legal assistance or who lack representation. For over 30 years, the program has facilitated students in applying their legal knowledge through various community service activities, bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world application.
According to the resolution, the Pre-Law Fraternity, Phi Delta Phi and the Joseph F. Rice School of Law Pro-Bono Program are forming a partnership to offer legal and general support services to the Columbia community.
The Joseph F. Rice School of Law Pro-Bono Program organizes legal clinics, volunteer events and “Good Deed Fridays.” Through this partnership, Phi Delta Phi members will gain valuable experience to help prepare them for law school and a legal career, while also fostering an understanding of the importance of a service-oriented approach in the profession, as mentioned in the resolution.
"The Pro-Bono program at the law school runs legal clinics and participates in initiatives like 'Good Deed Fridays,' where they collaborate with local non-profit organizations," Few said. "These clinics provide various legal services, including assistance during 'Ask an Attorney Day,' which addresses a range of legal issues. They also help individuals obtain essential documents like driver's licenses and birth certificates, particularly for members of the indigenous community."
According to Few, the Pro-Bono program plays a significant role in supporting the local community. The partnership with the pre-law fraternity allows its members to gain practical legal experience while fostering a commitment to service, both as students and future lawyers, he said.
In the resolution, the Student Government affirms the importance of participation in philanthropy and volunteer work, as well as the promotion of a service-based mindset among students.
Few is on the Pro-Bono board at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law.
"We engaged with the pre-law fraternity to establish a partnership together and they wanted to get more experience with legal clinics, or anything that's going to prepare them to be a service-minded lawyer," Few said. "Essentially, with that, we thought it would be beneficial to get undergraduates involved with those opportunities- because typically it's limited to law students. They asked for it and so we wanted to give them that opportunity."
The legislation was adopted by unanimous consent.
Another piece of passed legislation was a resolution to commend and congratulate Emily Heater and Patrick Koon, the leaders of the Freshman Council.
"Heater and Koon are now the Freshman Council directors. They've done an incredible job running it — it requires a lot of dedication," Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Camden Kaye said. "They are two individuals who are effectively running a program of 80-ish people, and in the last two weeks, they've conducted about 80 interviews. I just wanted to write a little thing, thanking them and congratulating them for all the hard work that they've done inside of student government for this body."
Kaye said that Heater and Koon are taking on significant responsibilities. The bill notes the Freshman Council's importance within USC's Student Government, providing first-year students with leadership opportunities and a chance to contribute to campus life.
According to the bill, as leaders, Heater and Koon have conducted over 80 interviews to create a diverse council, ensuring that first-year students' voices are represented. The 116th Student Senate recognizes their contributions and encourages future leaders to follow their example.
"A lot of organizations inside of student government have a lot of support apparatus, Freshman Council is one where historically, the directors are the people who kind of run the organization and and make it happen, so it's very much on to them," Kaye said. "The fact that Freshman Council is already moving, they've got great candidates— it just speaks to the excellence that they've brought to this organization. I want to commend people for good work- and they've definitely done it.
The legislation was adopted by unanimous consent.
The other passed piece of legislation was a recommendation to allow the Finance Committee to distribute funds.
Chairman of the Finance Committee William Wenzel said his committee reviewed $6,227.93 and approved the full amount. The International Soccer Club requested $2,910.46, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry requested $3,000.00 and Exercise is Medicine requested $317.47.
The legislation was passed by unanimous consent.
The tabled piece of legislation was "A Bill To Implement Freshman Council Representatives to Serve as Proxies for Senators".
The legislation was referred to the Judiciary Committee.
Student senate will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 2nd, in the Russell House Theatre. All students are welcome to attend these meetings.