Applications are currently being accepted for positions on the University Health Services Mental Health Services Student Advisory Board until Nov. 3.
The Student Advisory Board was established to facilitate communication between the student body and Mental Health Services, allowing them to address the mental health needs of students on campus, University Health Services Outreach Assistant Director Danyelle Okesanjo said.
Okesanjo said that the board also serves as a focus group for the student body.
ASM establishes UW campus a sanctuary for transgender individuals
“The goal overall is to have an avenue for students to provide feedback,” Okesanjo said. “So we meet monthly and we work with the students by showing them some of our advertising materials, and running some of our service and updates by them.”
The board is made up of ten students including an elected chairperson and vice-chair. The SAB is entirely student-led and reports to Okesanjo.
The application process occurs in the fall and consists of two essay questions followed by an online interview. If accepted, board members are given the opportunity to complete a second term. Each term starts in the Spring and ends in December.
According to Okesanjo, students’ involvement in campus organizations plays a large factor when considering prospective applicants. Many board members are members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Greek Life.
“One of the things that we look for with regards to our applicants is what activities are they involved with on campus,” Okesanjo said. “By making sure that they’re involved in some student groups — that’s a natural way for that student to talk about MHS. And we can also learn about that student organization so we try to get a variety of students across campus who represent different groups and backgrounds.”
University of Wisconsin hosts second annual Sustainability Symposium
Due to the large scale of UHS, the SAB functions under their outreach division. Beyond providing feedback to UHS, the SAB also relays students’ perspectives about university services. Okesanjo said this two-way communication allows UHS to correct misinformation as well as provide services that are in demand.
“They’re getting out to other candidates talking about our services, and also we’re asking them to let us know what they’re hearing from students,” Okesanjo said. “And that’s been good for us to get a sense of what are some of the narratives that are out there and what can we do to promote certain services that aren’t being promoted, or correct misinformation.”
