Psych center isn’t meeting student needs

   Students are required to pay a $244 annual health services fee each, but we're not getting our money's worth. The money is split between the Student Health Center and Student Psychological Counseling Services, but this semester, students seeking psychological help or advice will be turned away after a maximum of eight sessions.

   It's the first time in almost 10 years that Chapman has been ill-equipped to deal with an overflow of students wanting to use counseling services. The cap on visits conflicts with the medical assistance we're supposed to be guaranteed as part of our annual tuition payment.  

   The Health Center provides after-hour services at Sunrise Medical Group, an urgent care medical office in Orange. But Student Psychological Counseling Services isn't working toward additional accommodations for students. With a budget of $445,263, it should be able to see students as often as necessary.

   Chapman added two counselors in the past four years but this isn't providing enough support for growing incoming class sizes. If students are turned away from counseling when in need, the university isn't fulfilling its duty to the students.

   Jerry Price, vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students, acknowledged the concern that the Student Psychological Counseling Services may not be meeting all students' needs. His department continues to use student surveys and monitor use of student health services to examine the need for more counselors and funding, but the evaluation spans several years.

   This is more than an issue of students' money being spent and lack of administrative action – it's the health and safety of students. If students need psychological services but can't afford to go elsewhere, Chapman needs to make it a priority to fix this problem.